Our lives in this world are a
constant frustration and disappointment. Aren't they? We want so much to glorify our
God, to live and walk in this world in a way that honors him,
gives praise to him, and pleases him. and how miserably we fail. Now tonight, I want to show you
the message of 1 Thessalonians and give you that which the Holy
Spirit gives in these five chapters. Wise, clear instruction about
how you ought to walk and to please God. Paul wrote this letter
to the church at Thessalonica specifically to communicate to
them his love for them and his desire to return to them, that
he might again preach the gospel to them, communicating to them
the grace of God and the message of his grace. He prayed for them
night and day. He assures them that he prayed
for them night and day, exceedingly desiring to see them again, that
he might perfect that which is lacking in your faith." What
does he mean, perfect that which is lacking? He prayed that he
might be the instrument in God's hand as he preached the gospel
of his grace to these dear Saints, by which they would mature in
the faith of Christ, growing in the grace and knowledge of
our God. And look at chapter 3, verse
11. We'll start there and come right back to chapter 1. Paul is communicating this desire
he has for these Thessalonians. And now God himself and our Father
and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase
and abound in love one toward another. and toward all men,
even as we do toward you. To the end, he may establish
your hearts, unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father,
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints. then we beseech you, brethren,
and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of
us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound
more and more." Now in these five chapters the Holy Spirit
gives us very clear instruction about how we ought to walk and
to please God in this world. Let me give you a little background.
Thessalonica was the capital city of the Roman province of
Macedonia. Paul came to the Thessalonians
being brought there by the direct revelation of God. You can read
it in Acts chapter 16. When he got there, for three
weeks every Sabbath day, as was his custom, he went into the
synagogue and reasoned with them from the scriptures, declaring
to those who were there, Jew and Gentile alike, for three
weeks All that Jesus Christ must suffer and rise again on the
third day, and then asserting, showing from the scriptures,
that Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Jews had crucified, is indeed
the Christ of God. Now, when he had finished preaching,
many believed, a great multitude of women and of Gentiles and
some Jews as well. But the vast majority in town
despised his message, and they stirred up opposition against
him. The result was there was just
a citywide riot. They were rioting in the streets
because of the message of God's grace, and at last Paul and Silas
were run out of town. But God never sends his word
in vain anywhere, and he never sends his servants in vain anywhere. There were a multitude who did
believe, and from that multitude who believed, God raised up a
gospel church. And it's to these Thessalonians
that Paul is writing. It was written specifically to
teach us, as I said, how we ought to walk in this world and live
in this world to honor and please our Heavenly Father. Now, Paul's
salutation in verse 1 of chapter 1, if you look at it, you'll
notice there's a notable exception to the way Paul usually begins
his epistles. Here he makes no mention of his
apostleship. He doesn't say a word about himself
being an apostle. That's very unusual. There was
a reason. No one in the church at Thessalonica
was suspicious of him. So there was no need for him
to make any statement concerning him being God's messenger. He
simply writes to them as one who loves them, who looks upon
them with great affection, who has been an instrument of usefulness
to their souls, and one who has a mutual confidence between himself
and them. And then in chapter 1, Paul tells
the Saints here at Thessalonica how very thankful he was to God
for them, and for the manifest grace of God in them. Look at
chapter 1, verse 2. 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. We constantly give thanks to
God because he has given you faith, faith by which you work,
work and labor in love in the cause of Christ, and the patience
with which you walk in this world and hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he makes a statement
in verse 4 that most people might find a little surprising. He
says, Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. He tells
these Saints at Thessalonica that they were numbered among
those sinners chosen before the world began unto salvation. That
they were predestined by God as his adopted children. Now,
how could he have known that? Can any man know that? Is it
possible to know who God's elect are? Well, Paul said, yes. He
says, knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. I had someone
ask me this question when I was in California a couple of weeks
ago, sitting at the table, a man and his wife talking with him.
They had just started attending services out of San Leandro just
a few weeks back and talking about God's election. And the
lady asked me, she said, well, who are the elect? Who are you
talking about, about the elect? If you believe the Son of God,
if God has given you faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory,
your faith in him is the result and the evidence of God having
chosen you before the world began. And Paul says concerning these
Thessalonians, I know your election by what I see in you. And he
writes by inspiration. Now, election is a blessed, delightful
doctrine taught on every page of Holy Scripture. If you want
to, sometime at your leisure when you're studying the scriptures,
you want to see how prominent this doctrine is. I know people
today, they say that's one of those doctrines that's a dark
thing, it's one of the insignificant things in the scriptures that's
kind of tucked away here and there, one of those secret things.
You look up in a concordance the words choose, chosen, elect,
predestinate, election, and see how often they're used. You won't
find a page in this book where the doctrine is not either stated
or illustrated. Not one page. It's everywhere. The very beginning of the gospel,
our Lord speaks plainly concerning the doctrine of election. Election
is clearly a Bible doctrine. Our Lord said to his disciples,
you've not chosen me, I've chosen you. But the letter read back
in the office a minute ago in Acts 13, verse 48, as many as
were ordained to eternal life believed. And that's the way
it was then, that's the way it was before that, and that's the
way it is now. All who were ordained to eternal
life believed because God chose them unto everlasting life. Election
is an act of God's free, sovereign, distinguishing grace performed
in Christ Jesus before the world began, in which he chose people,
individual sinners, loved by him with an everlasting love,
unto salvation. But election is a doctrine that's
often misunderstood. and being misrepresented by many,
it is easily misunderstood. A lot of people have difficulty
with doctrine simply because they don't know what the Bible
teaches about it. Election does not, and this needs to be stressed
and needs to be understood, election does not in any way give anything
contradictory or inconsistent with all the promises of God's
grace and mercy given in the scriptures. Our Lord said, all
you that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest."
Now, some people think that every time you mention anything in
the scripture that indicates the sinner must believe, the
sinner must come to Christ, you've got to stop and put fence up
and a wall up so that it makes it almost impossible for a fellow
to imagine he can believe. Come, and he'll give you rest. Believe on the Son of God, and
you have everlasting life. That's what the book says. That's
what the book says. Him that cometh unto me, I will
in no wise cast out. There's no word at all in this
book that in any way contradicts God's promises of grace and mercy
to sinners coming to Christ. Well, I don't know whether I
can believe on Jesus or not. I don't know whether I'm one
of the elect or not. You won't know until you believe. You won't
know. And if God gives you faith to
believe on His Son, you'll know. He chose me. Well, how can you
tell men they must choose Christ because they must choose Him?
You see, election doesn't in any way diminish a person's responsibility
before God. God commands all men everywhere
to repent. And you must repent or you will
perish. You must believe on the Son of
God, or you're going to hell. You must choose Christ for yourself,
or you will perish under the wrath of God. That's what the
book teaches. Because you've chosen your foolishness,
you will eat the end of your own ways. But God tells us in
Proverbs 1, we come to him, believing him, because we must have him,
receiving him. You remember what John said in
John 1, as many as received him, to them gave he power to become
the sons of God? There are two words used for
receive in the New Testament. One means to receive just like
that glass received water. What did it do? Not a frazzling
thing. Somebody poured some water in it. That's all. That's how we receive life from
God. That's how we receive the gift
of God's faith. But the word that's used in John
1, 12, as many as received him, that's a different word. That
word means to receive like this. A thirsty man sees some cool
water and he takes it. You must receive the Son of God. and receiving him, he has received
you. Believing him, he's chosen you. Trusting him, he's given you
faith. But receiving him you must. And the Holy Spirit here
tells us, look at verses 3 through 10. You can look at them as I
call your attention to the highlights. He tells us that our election
is something that may be known. Repentance and faith and conversion
Good works. These things are the fruit and
the evidence of election, not the cause. If you're born of
God, if you trust Christ, it's because he's chosen you. Now,
no mere man can ever open and read the Lamb's book of life.
No mortal can ever know who God's elect are until God gives them
life and faith in Christ. People say all the time, if I
just do what you folks do, I just go preach to the elect. I would
too if I knew who they were, but I don't know who they are.
I don't have any idea who they are. I've preached to all men
because God's commanded it. Mr. Spurgeon said one time, if
you paint a yellow stripe on their back, I'd go pull up shirt
tails and find out who they are, and I'd just preach to them.
But since there's no yellow stripe on their back, I don't know who
they are. And so God commands us to preach the gospel to all
men, commanding all men everywhere to believe. However, each person
can know his own election. we can prove our own selves and
make our calling and election sure by the test of this book.
In 1 Thessalonians, Paul writes by divine inspiration and tells
us that he knew these men and women in the church at Thessalonica
were chosen elect sinners and knew it by certain distinct things. He gives five things here, five
marks, five evidences of grace, if you will. First, he tells
us in verse 5, that those who are God's elect are people who
hear the gospel. They hear a man preach it, no
question about that, but they have more than that. They hear
the gospel not as the word of a man, but as the word of God
Almighty in the demonstration and power of God the Holy Spirit.
What does that mean? That means when God speaks to
you by his word, you know God spoke to you. And he convinces
you of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, causing you
to believe on the Son of God. Our gospel, Paul says, came not
unto you in word only, but in power, in the Holy Ghost, and
in much assurance. God spoke to you, and you knew
it, as you know what manner of men we were among you for your
sake. The elect are those who are called
by the grace of God through the preaching of the gospel as God
the Holy Spirit makes the word effectual to them. Look in verse
3. Paul says, remembering without
ceasing your work of faith, your labor of love, your patience
of hope. Verse 6, you became followers of us and of the Lord,
having received the word in much affliction and with joy of the
Holy Ghost. Here's the second thing. Believers
are men and women who follow Christ. They follow the Lamb
with us wherever he goes. They follow his word. They follow
his will. They follow his example. They
follow his direction. They follow him. They follow
him. You see, believers are disciples.
When grace comes to a sinner, when God gives a person faith
in Christ, he makes that person a disciple, one who follows Christ. And thirdly, in verse 8, God's
people are a people who are committed to Christ and the gospel. Paul
said, from you sounded out the word of the Lord. Not only in
Macedonia, not only in Achaia, but also in every place your
faith to God is spread abroad. He said, we don't have to tell
anybody anything about you, because wherever we go they've heard
about you, because you've been proclaiming the gospel of God's
grace. You're committed to the message of God's grace, committed
to the building of God's kingdom. And then fourthly, verse 9, it
tells us that God's elect are people who experience repentance
and conversion. They are turned to Christ. By
the power of his grace, they turn from their idols to serve
the living God. for they themselves show of us
what manner of entering in we had unto you." That is, those
folks that live amongst you, those folks that have heard about
you and heard what God did for you, they tell us what power
God had amongst you and how you turned to God from idols to serve
the living and true God. Those folks that you used to
go down to that heathen temple and worship with, they know you're
not going with them anymore. They know you've turned from
your idols and turned from your idolatrous ways, your idolatrous
religion. You now worship and serve the
living God. And then in verse 10, God's elect
are a people who live on the tiptoe of faith, waiting for
Christ. And to wait for his Son from
heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered
us from the wrath to come. Believing his word, we live in
hope and expectation of the resurrection all the time. We ought to live all the time,
as it were, on the very tiptoe of faith, looking for him, looking
for him. Oh, God give me grace to Look
a little bit, preacher, what about those things that are yet
to come? There is nothing revealed in this book that's yet to take
place before Christ comes again. Nothing revealed in this book
except the salvation of God's elect. That's all. When the last
one of God's chosen has been called, when the last one believes
on him, hmm, a thought just flashed across my mind. Maybe before
I get done preaching now. When the last of God's elect
believe, Christ is coming in his glory. Living on the tiptoe
of faith, this is what we're doing, we're waiting on him,
waiting on him. Now, in chapter 2, Paul tells
us that he looked upon the ministry God had given him the blessed
work of preaching the gospel as a great trust, a trust that
simply overwhelmed him. He was astounded by the fact
that God allowed him to be put in trust with the gospel. Paul's
attitude toward the work of the ministry, as he expresses it
here and as he expresses it throughout his writings, stands before us
as a constant challenge to all who profess to be gospel preachers,
to all to whom God has granted this grace. You listen in, I'm
going to preach to myself a little bit. Pickley, Rod, Lindsay, and
Larry here. God's given you your spheres
of responsibility. And listen to how Paul deals
with this thing. He came to Thessalonica with
the deep, deep conviction that God had sent him. God had sent
him. He knew the Lord had sent him
there with the message of his grace. His goal in going, his
goal in preaching, was the honor of God and the good of their
immortal That's what it tells us in verse 4. And therefore
he didn't use flattering words, deceitful words by which he would
please and entice the hearts of men in his favor. He wasn't
motivated by covetousness and self-interest, and he didn't
seek that honor which men could give him. He deliberately pushed
those things aside. That's what it tells us in verses
3 through 6. As the faithful servant of God, Paul dealt with
their souls in all the tenderness and affection of a mother nursing
and caring for her children, and in all the firmness and commitment
and decisiveness of a father taking care of his family. But
we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.
We were tender, caring. That doesn't mean spineless and
limp-wristed. That means tender and caring.
So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have
imparted unto you not the gospel of God only, but also our own
souls. because you would appear to us. I've told you so many times,
whatever it is you think of naturally, about anything spiritual, it's
wrong. It's just wrong. Whatever naturally comes to your
mind is wrong. People these days, they think
of the preacher and being gentle, they think about a fellow who's
a spineless wimp, and he's limp-wristed, and he just does whatever he's
told. Let me see if I can illustrate
this thing for you. Some years ago, a friend of mine,
a child in the hospital, had to go through some painful tests,
and I was there with her. Father couldn't be there, and
I took that boy in my arms while the doctor was doing those tests
and folded his body around mine and held him firm. so firm I
probably bruised him, while that doctor did painful things to
him, painful things, because I cared for that boy more than
I cared for his immediate response to me at the time. You understand
that? It's called gentleness, gentleness,
care, tender care. Verse 9, For you remember, brethren,
our labor and travail, for laboring night and day, because we would
not be chargeable unto any of you. We preach the gospel of
God, preach to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses. I don't have to tell you I'm
an apostle. You're a witness of it. You've experienced it.
And God also. How that holyly and justly and
unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe, As you
know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you,
as a father doth his children, that you walk worthy of God,
who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory." And these
saints received Paul as God's messenger to their souls, and
they treated him with all the love and honor that reflected
their gratitude to God for him. Look at verse 13, also thank
we God without ceasing. Because when you received the
word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the
word of men, not as though you heard Paul preach, not as though
you heard Don preach, not as though you heard Lindsay or Ron
or Larry preach. No, no, no. You received it as
it is in truth, the word of God which effectually worketh also
in you that It shouldn't be surprising to
see what Paul says of them in verse 20. He says, you are our
glory and our joy. Perhaps I say too little, perhaps
too much, I don't know. But when I'm away from you, I
say heapsight more about you than I ever do to you. You're
my glory and my joy. I brag on you everywhere I go,
because of your response to the gospel. And I urge you, as Paul
did these Thessalonians, continue in it. He was absent from them
physically, but he was very much present with them in heart, and
longed to be with them physically, he says in verses 17, 18, and
19. Paul gives us very tender, wise
instruction concerning the things that all believers suffer in
this world for Christ's sake. He would have come to them already,
he told them in chapter 2, verse 18, but Satan hindered him. And
when he couldn't come himself, he sent Timothy because he was
so concerned for them. He sent Timothy to establish
them and comfort them in the midst of their trials and temptations.
And when Timothy reported back to him and told him how graciously
God had worked among them, what wonders God had performed among
them, Paul was just elated with gratitude and praise to God.
Chapter 3, verse 1, he sent Timothy to establish and comfort you
concerning your faith, to establish you and to comfort you concerning
your faith. Verse 3, that no man should be
moved by these afflictions. For yourselves know that we are
appointed thereunto, for verily, when we were yet with you, we
told you before that we should suffer tribulations, even as
it came to pass, and you know. For this cause, when I could
no longer forbear, I sent to know your lest by some means
the tempter have tempted you and our labor be in vain. But
now when Timotheus came from you unto us and brought us good
tidings, good news of your faith and charity, and that you have
good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us as
we also to see you. Therefore, brethren, we were
comforted over you. in the midst of trouble and heartache,
when I couldn't be with you, and because of satanic encumbrance
I couldn't be there. In the midst of heartache and
affliction, Timothy came and told me how the grace of God
reigned in you. Oh, it made my chains heavy and
my burden light. We were comforted, watch what
it says now, comforted over you in all our affliction and distress
by your faith, by what God done for you. For now we live if you
stand fast in the Lord." What? Paul, did you say your life is
wrapped up in their salvation? I think that's what he said.
We live if you stand fast in the Lord. So what thanks can
we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we
joy for your sakes before God? Did you catch what he said in
verse 3? That no man should be moved by these afflictions, for
yourselves know that we are appointed thereto. Paul told these Thessalonians
and us, that we shouldn't be surprised when trouble comes.
Our Lord said in the world you shall have tribulation, but be
of good cheer, I have overcome the world. And Paul here says
these afflictions are things appointed by our God, and things
to which we have been appointed by him. Now whatever they are,
I'll give you three things, whatever they are, these appointed They are appointed for a certain
time. They are appointed for a certain
purpose. And they are appointed for a
certain end. A certain time, a certain purpose,
a certain end. And they will last no longer.
Now in chapter 4, Paul follows his instruction about our afflictions.
with a word of instruction about how we ought to walk and to please
God in the midst of these afflictions. Children of God, let it be our
goal, not in letter and not in lip,
but in heart and in reality, let it be our determined purpose
to walk in this world for the honor of our for his glory, and
while we live in this world, to do that which pleases him."
Now, it must be said, the only way we can please him is by trusting
his Son. Enoch had testimony that he pleased
God, because without faith it's impossible to please him. And
Enoch believed on the Son of God. And as we walk before God
in this world, we are accepted of him because of Jesus Christ
our Lord and Redeemer. As you have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Yet we must never
imagine that our personal behavior in this world is a matter of
indifference. I have read and I have heard
preachers say things directly to the contrary. I've read men
and heard men say, we're saved by grace, therefore your character
and conduct don't matter. It doesn't matter how you behave,
it doesn't matter what kind of man you are. Nothing could be further
from the truth. Let us never forget we're the
sons of God, the sons and daughters of the Almighty. We've been bought
with a price, we belong to God. And everything we say, and everything
we do over yonder in that house, here in this building, among
God's Saints, in our family, where we work, out yonder in
the world, reflects either positively or negatively on the honor of
God and the gospel of God's grace that we believe. Therefore, Paul
urges us to live for the glory of God. ruled by the word of
God, possessing our vessels in sanctification and honor. Look
at verse 1, chapter 4. Furthermore, then, we beseech
you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you
have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so
you would abound more and more. For you know what commandments
we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God,
even your sanctification, your continual separation to him,
that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of
you should know how to possess his vessel. What's he talking
about? Larry Chris, you're sitting there
in a vessel. It's called a tabernacle of clay.
Possess it, as long as you're in this tabernacle, in sanctification
and honor, as one separated to God for his honor. He specifically
urges us to abstain from fornication, that is, from sexual perversion. And that's what the word fornication
includes. It's not just having illicit
sex outside of marriage, and it certainly includes that. If
you're dumb, you have to say that. But in these days, you've
got to say that. That's not all though. That's
not all. It's talking about moral perversity. Any kind of sexual
moral perversity. and to live in moral uprightness,
not in the lust of concupiscence, being careful not to defraud
our brothers in anything, because the Lord is the avenger of all
such, as we have also forewarned you and testified. Verse 7, For
God hath not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness. He has not called
us to uncleanness, but to utter consecration of ourselves to
him. That's what he called us to. We can't do that. That's not
an excuse. That's not an excuse. That's
impossible. That's not an excuse. He has
called us to holiness. He therefore that despiseth,
despiseth not man, but he that despises his word, despises his
providence, despises not man, but God, who hath also given
unto us his Holy Spirit." Now look at verses 9 and 10. Paul
tells us to love one another. As touching brotherly love, you
need not that I write unto you. You're taught of God to love
one another, and indeed you do. Oh, what a commendation. verses
11 and 12, he tells us to pursue a quiet, industrious life, not
prying into the affairs of others, but taking care of our own. And
then in verse 13, down to the end of the chapter, in the last
part of chapter 4, Paul turns our minds to eternity. Now try to get the setting. He
has told us what God's done for us by his Christ has delivered
us from the wrath to come. He urges us now to walk in this
world and to please God, to set our hearts on the honor of our
God, to let our lives be ruled by a desire for his honor and
his glory. And now he turns us to the end
of redemption. He first motivates us with what
Christ has done. Now he motivates us with what
Christ is going to do. and it sets our heart on eternity. It tells us to live in the sweet
comfort of resurrection glory. You see, if we learn by God's
grace, if we can learn by God's grace, if the Lord will graciously
teach us to live all the time on the tiptoe of faith, expecting
Christ's return, all of those things by which we are tempted
to dishonor our God, have no hold on us. Particularly, he
encourages us to honor our God in times of bereavement. Now,
I can't expound this passage, but I want us to read it together.
And I want you to notice distinctly, the Holy Spirit does not tell
us that we must not sorrow when loved ones are taken from us. Some years ago, Brother James Rankin was dying
of cancer. Young fellow there, I don't understand
what all the concerns are about. And I said to him, you've never
lived with somebody all your life, and you're fixing to lose
them, and you're watching them suffer. Why don't you learn to
shut up until you learn what's going on? We sorrow not, even as others
who have no hope. And here's the reason. I would
not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which
are asleep, their bodies, not their souls. That you sorrow
not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent, we shall not go before
or go ahead of them which are asleep." I know some of you were
raised in dispensational, fundamentalist backgrounds, and you heard all
of your life, Oh, I want to live until Jesus comes. It doesn't
matter. It doesn't matter. We won't go ahead of them. Oh,
no. As a matter of fact, they're going to precede us in the resurrection.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of an archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead
in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore,
comfort one another with these words." Then in chapter 5, Paul
continues to speak to us about the day of the Lord. He's giving
us instruction concerning Christ's glorious second advent, and he
urges us to live in the constant, immediate anticipation of Christ's
coming with watchfulness, with sobriety, as children of light
walking in the bright noonday sun, not as children of darkness
who walk in the darkness. He says the Lord's coming as
a thief in the night, but not to you. His day's not going to be a surprise
to anybody who's looking for him. You understand that? He's coming as a thief in the
night, but we're not children of darkness. We walk in the light.
And living in anticipation of him won't be a surprise at all. Shelby had a lot of work to do
with the house this morning. I came over a little earlier than she did,
and I was involved in preparing for the night. She got here a
little later than I did this morning, and I wasn't expecting
her. And when she opened the door, I jumped like that. What's
that? Oh, Shelby, I should have been
expecting her. I should have been looking for
her. She said, I'll be there in just a little bit. Our Lord told you, I'll be there
in just a little bit. Now don't quit looking for me.
And David, it doesn't matter whether you apply this. I know
it's talking about our Lord's second coming. It doesn't matter.
whether you apply it to him coming for you secretly and taking you
out of this world in death right now, or whether you apply it
to him coming in his glorious second advent in the resurrection
of the dead. Either way, he's coming for us.
Now look what Paul says. Verse 8 and 9, it says, "...walk
in the light, putting on the breastplate of faith and love,
and for an helmet the hope of salvation." You talk about protecting
your head. This is good. "...For God hath
not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep
we should live together with him." But it doesn't matter whether
he takes us in death or whether he takes us in the resurrection,
we'll live together with him. Therefore, comfort yourselves
together and edify one another, even as also you do. Then in
verses 12 and 13, these Thessalonians highly esteemed Paul. Oh, they
esteemed him so highly as God's servant and messenger. And he
urges them and God's saints in every age to give that same honor
to those who faithfully preach the gospel, laboring in the word
of God, and laboring for their souls. We beseech you, brethren,
know them. Know them. Make yourself acquainted
with them which labor among you. If a man's worth is sought, a
preacher, he labors in the word and in doctrine. And they're
over you as overseers in the Lord, who admonish you, who teach
you the word of God, and to esteem them very highly, not because
they're somebody, not because they're gifted or talented or
smart, but to esteem them very highly in love because of what
they do. They labor for your soul, for
their work's sake. And just in proportion as you
do, be at peace among yourselves. God's Saints are to highly esteem
and give honor to those who faithfully serve their souls and our Redeemer. Now, in verse 14, 15, Paul urges us to take great exercise
and patience toward all men, rendering to none evil for evil. And he urges us to follow after
that which is good. both among ourselves and with
regard to all men." What's he talking about? Follow after that,
which is good. Look at it with me. We'll wrap this up. Rejoice evermore. That's good. Pray without ceasing. That doesn't mean to be on your
knees all the time reciting prayers. means to be continually calling
upon God, continually believing him, in everything giving thanks,
always giving thanks to God. For this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. It's God's will that you believe
in and that you give thanks. And whatever is included in everything,
whatever it is, that's God's will, too. Quench not the Spirit
Quench not the spirit of evil, harsh hardness toward one another. Despise not prophecies. Don't
count as a useless thing the preaching of
the gospel. Despise not the preaching of
the word. Prove all things, prove all things. Prove every word
you hear preached by anybody by this book. Prove all things.
If you can't find proof of what I say in this book, don't you
listen to me. Abstain from that which is evil.
If it can't be shown from here, if it can't be shown according
to the word of God, abstain from all appearance of
evil. And then in verse 23, he tells them of his prayer for
them And what a prayer it is. And the God of peace sanctify
you wholly. Make you totally separated to
him. Totally consecrated to him. Totally. Oh, what a prayer. And I pray,
God, your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless
unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, there's no hope
of that, not in Ron Wood. Oh, but there's good hope of
that. Do you believe God? Do you, my friend, believe God? Do you? Well, that's what God's
going to do for you. Faithful is he that calleth you,
who also will do it. Thank you, Father, for your great
faithfulness and your great grace. and the blessed privilege of
knowing it. In Jesus Christ our Lord.