The Deep Affection Of The Gospel

Take your Bibles this morning and let's turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 as we continue our study of the Word of God in this epistle. More to the point as we listen to God's voice as He speaks to us in this letter. you follow as I begin reading in chapter 2 verse 17 reading to the end of chapter 3 but since we were torn away from you brothers for a short time in person not in heart we endeavored the more earnestly and with great desire to see you face to face because we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, again and again, but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming?

Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy. Therefore, when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone. And we sent Timothy, our brother and God's co-worker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhorts you in your faith that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.

For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. now that Timothy has come to us from you and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you are all that you always remember us kindly and long to see us as we long to see you for this reason brothers in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith for now we live if you are standing fast in the Lord for what thanksgiving can we return to God for you for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way to you and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all as we do for you so that he may establish your hearts blameless and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Let's pray. Father would you now open your word to us, open our hearts, give us minds to think give us the ability to embrace the truth and then the power, the grace to change in light of it we are not here to be entertained we are here to listen to the voice of our master, our lord and then to obey all that he says Grant that, we pray. It is our greatest desire.

We'll thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. What do you think it's like when you see your son or your grandson standing on the podium at the end of the wrestling tournament receiving the medal for how well he did in that tournament? There's a certain amount of joy and pride, isn't there? Not for yourself, but for him. How do you feel when your daughter takes that exam for the scholarship?

You're feeling a little bit concerned, anxious maybe, fearful. What happens when you get the word that your dad has apparently had a heart attack and is on his way to the hospital? Crying out to God and you're crying. Or your married sister is pregnant. There's delight and joy in that. What do you feel when you hear that your mom, who lives two states away, is getting too weak and can't do the things she used to do?

You want to go, and you want to help her put the garden in, right? What causes all those deep emotional responses from you? What causes that as you think about your family? It's the deep affection that has grown up in you as a result of you all living together. You have lived together. You've worked together.

You've loved one another. and so there's this deep affection. A family should have that kind of affection. And the same thing is true of our spiritual family our church family our brothers and sisters in Christ The gospel ought to work in us a deep affection for one another An affection that goes beyond just I really like you because we have the same interests because you're fun to be with.

It's what I would call a true gospel affection. An affection that has grown because of our mutual interest in the gospel, because the gospel has rescued us, because we've lived under the light of that gospel together. An affection that rejoices with one another, prays for one another, is concerned when one starts to stumble, cries out to God on behalf of one another.

It's an affection that should reside in the hearts of the shepherds of the congregation. It's an affection that should be part of your hearts as well. and that's exactly what you see in the text before us as the apostle paul reflects on his relationship with the thessalonians he's almost like a father he's almost like a dad he's bragging about them he's showing deep and tender concern for them even some anxiety on their behalf he tells them what brings comfort to him and what makes him happy and what he's going to do to encourage them and to help them in the future. Here you find, I believe, a model of the affection that we should have for one another in this congregation.

It's the kind of affection that will cheer us to the end. The kind of affection that will help us finish well. Remember, which is what this epistle is about. Cheering on the champions as the Apostle Paul cheers them on to continue in the way that they're going so that they finish well when Jesus returns. And in order to do that, this kind of affection is necessary in the congregation of God's people.

Today we want to look at the first two elements of that. I believe there are four. Chapter 2, verses 17 through 19. Chapter 3, 1 through 5. Chapter 3, 6 through 10. And 3, 11 through 13.

Now ready. You already know I'm going to preach next week, so you might as well read the last part next week. We're going to cover two of these elements that show his affection. And we going to talk about those two What do we want to see here Well let me read the text again that we going to cover Verses 217 through 35 But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person, not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you.

I, Paul, again and again, but Satan hindered us. for what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming is it not you for you are our glory and joy therefore when we could bear it no longer we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone and we sent Timothy our brother God's co-worker in the gospel of Christ to establish and exhort you in your faith that no one be moved by these afflictions For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.

First, recognize that the gospel produces true affection. the gospel produces true affection look at the affection the love the deep bonds that paul and his colleagues express to these people the passage pulses it's almost if you could put your finger on that passage it just pulses with a wholehearted love for the people of god this deep deep affection and look how he expresses it you almost have to read the whole thing again because he has so many ways of saying it. Let's just look at it. We were torn away from you, brother.

We were torn away. We were torn away. Not in person, but what? Not in heart. And we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face. Because we wanted to come to you.

And I did it. I tried several times to come to you. What is our hope or joy or crown of boasting? You are our glory and joy. Those are all terms that talk about how he feels about them. Continue.

We could bear it no longer. Chapter 3, verse 1. He goes on. Look at verse 5 of chapter 3. When I could bear it no longer, I had to send Timothy. And I was afraid for you.

I'm anxious for you. how much I love you. I'm fearful for you. He goes on. He's brought us to Timothy's brought us the good news of love and reported that you always remember us kindly and you long to see us as we long to see you. All right. Verse seven.

We've been comforted when we heard about your faith that made us feel great. And you know what? We live when we find out that you're standing firm in the faith. verse 9 what thanksgiving could we possibly give back to god for you folks isn't that amazing and all the joy that we feel for your sake before god what else and we're praying for you earnestly night and day wow verse uh verse 12 that they increase and abound in love for one another and for all as we do for you you can see in this passage this incredible this incredible love for these people this affection for them and Paul assures them that he'd made several attempts to come back but Satan had thwarted his plans you know they're wondering why hasn't he come back and he's saying my love for you is such that I made a number of attempts to come back But things are beyond my control.

Satan was at work behind the scenes and kept us from coming there. What did Satan do? We don't know. We don't know for sure. It might have been sickness. It might have been the opposition of, remember, Acts 17 is the background music to this passage.

Acts 17, you remember, riot erupts. The Jewish people are against them and what they're preaching in the synagogue. They bring them before the authorities. maybe Satan's working behind the scenes and those authorities the dark forces of evil that are at work everywhere maybe it was when Jason put up the bond and the church put up the bond in the court for them maybe it was a guarantee that he wouldn't come back who knows we don't know but the point is Satan was at work and even though he tried even though he loved them and tried over and he couldn't make it back.

The point is the gospel here, the gospel here, here in LaRue, in this congregation, should produce the same sort of deep affection for one another Folks as I read this passage it says to me it says clearly this is the kind of affection that we need for one another That's what it means. We're a family. We are a family. Do you realize how, you know, we're so used to it, it's part of our Christian lingo, right?

But the Bible consistently refers to us as brothers and sisters, doesn't it? and we refer to one as brothers and sisters i believe i truly believe that your relationship with your spiritual family should transcend any natural bonds that you have with your earthly family who are still unbelievers you're closer brothers and sisters here than your normal than your natural earthly brother or sister it should be that way that's how close we should be i'm not saying then that you hate your earthly brother or sister it's not what i'm saying at all but your your affections for the people of god should transcend anything else the question that occurred to me though is how is such affection born how does the gospel give us that kind of affection for one thing the gospel arrives with good news the gospel arrives and says you are all brothers and sisters in sin you are captivated by sin you are prisoners to sin you're prisoners to satan to this world to your desires you are lost and in darkness and your only help is in jesus christ who can deliver you give you new birth, give you a new heart, so that you love the things you once hated and you hate the things you once loved. That's your only hope. And that's the only thing that produces that affection.

Look over a couple books to Titus chapter 3. Some key verses here. I'm sorry if the microphone is picking up my sniffing. I'll just make that disclaimer now, okay? It's that time of year for me. Titus chapter 3, verse 3.

For we ourselves were once foolish. Now listen, if you're sitting there saying, how can you say such things about people? I'm not saying it, the Bible's saying it. It's clear. Look what it says For we ourselves were once foolish disobedient led astray slaves to various passions and pleasures passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.

That's the way we were. We hated one another. It's just a way of life. We just hate one another. we're always always talking about one another and always taking each other apart behind their backs well if she's gonna you know that's the way of life for unbelievers disobedient foolish people slaves but what happens notice what he goes on to say but when the goodness and loving kindness of god our savior appeared he saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness but according to his own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the holy spirit whom he poured out on us richly through jesus christ our savior so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life how how is this affection born it's born because we have been called out of our foolish disobedience and slavery and malice and envy towards one another into a relationship where we can now love because we have been transformed we've been renewed we've been given new hearts it's born of the gospel and look back to first Thessalonians look at the things he told them when they were together just drop down to chapter four look at what he says finally then brothers we ask and urge you in the Lord verse one ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus that as you receive from us how you ought to walk and to please God just as you are doing that you do so more and more for you know what instructions we gave you through the lord jesus christ for this is the will of god your sanctification that you abstain from sexual immorality that each one of you know how to control his own body and holiness and honor not in the passion of lust like the gentiles who do not know god that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter because the lord is the avenger of all these things as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.

Why am I not going to be involved in sexual morality? Because the gospel comes and says don't wrong your brother that way. You're wronging someone else when you do that. It's not just a sin against God, you've wronged your brother. Right I don want to wrong my brother Look what he says in verse 9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another.

You've been taught by God. What is he saying? He says God himself has taught you not just words in your ears, love one another. He's taught you so that it's taken hold. He's taught you so that you actually do love one another from God. That hope is born because we have the same hope, or that affection is born because we have the same hope as we suffer together.

Chapter 5 of this very same epistle, look at verse 9. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with him. therefore encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing he says look we have this hope encourage one another with that hope you know what we grow in affection as we labor together in the gospel as we labor together as we labor for one another in the gospel our affection for each other will grow. You know, I've been here for 33 years now.

Do you think I've ever been tempted to go somewhere else? Yeah. Yeah. There are times when we say, you know what, that would be an adventure. Beck and I are talking in the kitchen. I can remember these conversations.

Wouldn't it be great to do that? Yeah, let's. If only we could take everybody with us, then maybe we'll go. Now, why do you think we say that because you don't invest in lives without something happening to you right you labor together in the gospel you labor for others in the gospel and watch what happens to your affections for that person those people i'm afraid that we some can't say they have that affection because they haven't labored with anyone.

They haven't labored for anyone. You know we grow in affection as we stand together in the gospel. Some of you and I have stood together at the beds of dying loved ones, with the hope of the gospel that we share. Together we have faced great difficulties and heartaches and crises, but always with the comfort and the commands of the gospel. and we've lived life together.

We've raised our kids together. We've seen them get married. We have gone to work together. All of that, all that everyday life with the gospel forming our minds and our actions, that's where the affection grows, you see. We stand together in the gospel and our affections for one another grow deeply. Now if some of you would leave this congregation, if some of you were to move, would you have those kinds of feelings for the people here that Paul expresses?

More to the point, would we who are left have those feelings for you when you leave? If not, you have to ask the question why not? By the way, if it is true, then ask the same question, why is that true? But the gospel produces true affection. It produces true affection. If you don't feel that affection, ask yourself the question, have I labored with anyone?

Have I stood with anyone in the gospel? Have I shared life under the gospel with other people? When you do, nothing will keep that affection from growing. Now he says to us as well in verses 17 through 19, recognize that true gospel affection produces godly delight in one another. That's what I see in verses 17 through 19. You are our joy.

You are our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting. You are our fame. You are our joy. This is what he says. Now, you might be tempted to say to the apostle you going to point at those folks who have suffered so much and you going to boast about what you done They your hope and joy They your crown of boasting They your glory What? What's going on here, Paul?

Gag me, right? But you're going to miss it if that's how you think, and that's the way he's talking. Now, again, you know, it's getting that time of year, so these things come to my mind. Go to a wrestling tournament. Go to a wrestling tournament. Spend half the day on Friday and the whole day Saturday in a wrestling tournament.

The whole thing. You get to the end, and they have the finals where you're wrestling off. The guys have moved up the brackets. Now they're in their final wrestling match, and they're going to wrestle that. and then at the end the boys in each weight class the top three are going to hear their names announced they go up to the podium someone hangs a medal around their neck or gives them a trophy right it's the end of all those days down here is a guy who's standing there and his boy is up on the podium and he's going yeah that's my boy up there You know what kind of dad he is now, right?

But then the next weight class is called, and there's another guy over here, right? And he's saying, that's my son. He is my delight and my joy. Is there any difference between those two dads? Yeah, there is. One sees his son as a vehicle to enhance his prestige, right?

That's my boy up there. I'm the guy who raised him, right? he sees him as a means of enhancing his prestige to make him look good but the other dad and his son are so completely bound together in love that the boy's victory is the father's joy and delight he delights in the victory of his son not because it makes him look good but because he's up there his victory is his dad's delight that's how Paul sees the disciples of Thessalonica when he says these things about them. You are our hope.

You're our joy. You're our crown of boasting. Now notice how he starts out Again I hope that as I preach through these texts you learn how to study the Bible That word for for that is to say do you know why we want to see you so badly Do you know why we want to see you so badly? Because you are our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting when Jesus returns.

That's why we want to see you. see he's not talking about you guys are going to make me look good he's saying what I want to see you badly why because you're our joy you're our joy our hope for he he says here's why we love you so much when Jesus exams our ministry our ministry of the gospel we're not going to talk about how great we did all we're going to do is point to you that's all we're going to do this going to point to you. Our hope for a good grade is you. Our joy at the time of judgment is you.

And the crown that the athlete wears for his victory, the crown that gives the victor the right to boast, will be you. And we won't boast about our achievements. We'll just point at you. You see? It's like the dad who points to his son on the podium and says, that's my boy. Right?

We'll point to you and declare, says Paul, right there, those folks, they're my hope, they're my joy, they're my crown. And just so they know exactly how the mission team feels about them, what does he say? In fact, you already are our glory and joy. By the way, the word glory there in verse 20 is not the same word as glory in the other one. This word is the word doxa, from which we get doxology, praise, or fame.

So he's saying to them, you're our fame. Well, not us. God's worked in you. The kind of affection that the gospel produces here among us is an affection that delights in one another. Recognize that godly affection produces a godly delight, a gospel affection produces a godly delight in one another. You know, as a pastor, he has the opportunity to go to other places, and people say, wow, you've been in that town for 33 years And I love to say you know what The congregation that God is working at in LaRue is my joy and my crown And what I mean by that is not I got this crown on I going hey look how good I don I look good with this crown Right?

No, it's, wow, what a beautiful crown. You see? And that's exactly what he's doing. He's delighting in them, and we ought to delight in one another. you ought to be able to look around and say you're my joy you're saying but pastor some people just aren't my joy well then make them your joy you know what when someone's not your joy you don't run away from them you love them and watch what happens to you when you do that you as you look around You ought to be able to say, she's my joy, he's my crown.

A delight in these people. Well now, verses 1 through 5 of chapter 3, we need to recognize that true gospel affection produces godly concern for one another. Not just godly delight in one another, but it produces godly concern for one another. gospel affection does not stand by indifferent to the struggles of others tell you when my kids were struggling it would break my heart i wasn't indifferent right i wasn't indifferent son what's wrong i don't know i don't want to tell you please i want to help you.

I don't want to tell you, Dad. Okay? You walk away going, oh, well, anyone talk. What can you do? No, your heart starts breaking. I want to help.

Right? Gospel affection does not stand and act indifferent when others are struggling. You see, Paul was so concerned about these folks that when he could stand it no longer, he says, when I could bear it no longer, notice, He says it twice. When I could bear it no longer, he sent Timothy back to find out what was going on and how they were responding to the pressures.

He was willing that he and Silas would be left alone in Athens in order to send Timothy back. He couldn't take it anymore. He was concerned about them. He had to know. So he said, Timothy, gospel affection is not indifferent. Instead, it sees danger and it fears what can happen to brothers and sisters.

Do you notice the word fear in verse 5? I was afraid for you, right? I was afraid what might have happened to you. I was afraid that someone, these afflictions, would have moved you away from your faith. and it scared me. You see? It fears the danger of affliction moving you away from the faith.

Notice as well, he mentions Satan again for the second time in this passage. He said, I was afraid, verse 5, I was afraid that the tempter would have tempted you and moved you away. If you look at the Scriptures, especially in 1 Peter chapter 5, you remember that famous thing about, the famous verse about, Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

When you continue reading in that context, how is he prowling about? He does it through trials and hardships. He tries to devour you. He tries to get you and move you away from the faith with the afflictions and the hardships and the trials that come in this life. He tries to move you away from your faith, you see. I was afraid that the adversary had tempted you with these hardships and that you'd moved away from the faith.

Hardships. Satan comes along and says, hey, you're alone. You're single. You don't need to be. That guy over there, you know it. He's interested in you.

Yeah, he's an unbeliever. I know that. But what do you want? You want faithfulness? or do you want loneliness? What is it going to be? Right?

Your boss is right. You're not going to survive if you don't play the game. So what do you want? You want integrity or do you want a job? It comes in the hardships. Gospel affection is going to be aware that Satan is at work.

He going to see struggle He going to seek to help Notice that gospel affection will go deeper and learn Again verse 5 I sent Timothy to learn about your faith Do you really love that sister? Do you really love her? Then when you see what appears to be flirting and getting real comfortable with that unbelieving guy, what are you going to do? Are you going to learn more?

Or are you going to walk away? If you love her, what are you going to do? If you see that someone may be struggling, you say, well, I don't know for sure. You know, it may not be that. It may be this. Well, it may be something that's innocuous.

But if you're concerned, find out. Find out. Listen, I'm speaking from my heart here. I am not the kind of person that likes to saddle up, come alongside people and say, I've been seeing some things lately and I'm concerned for you. That's not natural for me. But if I really love you I'm going to do it.

Whether I feel comfortable or not is immaterial. If you're struggling and I think you're struggling then I need to find out. Because if you need help it's better to help early than it is late. And I love you that much. you're not going to be indifferent. But most of all, gospel affection produces concern that acts. That's this whole section here.

When we could bear it no longer, we sent Timothy. We couldn't bear it any longer. He says it twice. I had to act. You see, Paul wasn't the kind of guy who said, oh, I gave him the gospel. Let's just see what happens.

If it doesn't work out, that's the way it goes. I guess it wasn't God's plan. I'll keep moving and keep preaching. No. No. He loved them.

There's great affection. He was afraid for them. He had to find out. He had to act. Is the gospel working that kind of affection in you? Or have you neglected the gospel and you remain indifferent to the dangers that other people face.

I say to you many times you know before the shepherds do that someone in trouble You know before we do What are you going to do about that If you love that person, you'll do something. You'll act. Notice this well. It's not just indifferent and it acts, but gospel affection produces a concern that establishes others in the faith. That's what it's all about.

They're going to move away from the faith. Paul sent Timothy to work hard, not just to report to him. He sent him to help those disciples stand firm by exhorting them. How? Verse 3. Verse 3.

Verse 2, I'm sorry. To establish and exhort you in your faith that no one be moved by these afflictions. To establish, that is, to support something so that it stands, it doesn't move. I have a mailbox. on the other side of the road from my house, that gets knocked to pieces every winter when the snow plows go by. The snow plows don't hit it. Their snow just slams it and slams it and slams it.

So every spring my mailbox does this number, right? All right, now, you guys, just relax. Don't let your mind go off in all kinds of ways you can help me and what I should do, okay? Because I already know, five of you are going to come up to me afterwards and say, well, Pastor, if you put some cement in there, if you did this, just don't do that right now.

Don't lose it. What I'm saying here is, you establish that thing so it doesn't move. That's what he's saying. Timothy, I want you to go, and I want you to exhort those people, and I want you to establish them so that no matter how hard it gets, they're not going to move away from the faith. They'll stand. They'll stand firm.

How do you establish them? You exhort them. You exhort them. You teach them. You tell them. You work the gospel and the truth of it into their lives so that they will not be moved.

That's what I have to do as a shepherd. If I love you, that's what I have to do. You know, coming out of seminary, as you all know, because I've told this so many times, but as I came out of seminary, I thought, all I have to do is preach and teach and teach you about God and stuff and we all be happy Well that not what the Bible says You know why I should get up here and preach Number one to make disciples What did Jesus say before he left Go out making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you.

I've got to be making disciples from this pulpit. I've got to be preaching in such a way that you will learn to obey Jesus. Another thing that he says, for example, in Colossians 1, the apostle Paul says we preach and we counsel for the purpose of presenting everyone mature in Christ I get up here to preach that on day of judgment you'll be able to give a good account of yourself I've got to minister to you publicly and privately in such a way that you'll be able to give a good account of yourself to Christ I want to move you to maturity I minister the word of God to move you to maturity Greg ministers the word of God to move you to maturity we minister so that you be able to give a good account of yourself.

And then here, in 1 Thessalonians, he says, you minister the word of God to establish you in the faith so that you are not moved by the inevitable afflictions that will come your way. And so I preach and minister and counsel and minister the word of God publicly and privately, face to face, so that you will not be moved by the inevitable afflictions that are coming your way. and I've got to do it privately as well. Your elders can tell you, if we could, we can't, but we could tell you of sitting with people, teaching them, begging them, pleading with them, warning them about the course that they're taking that would move them away.

Oftentimes, when they're facing some particular affliction, a hard marriage, loneliness, the kinds of afflictions that we in this country experience, to sit and warn and plead and teach and open the word of God and say, don't do this. Don't do it. We do it in order to help them stay solid in the afflictions. There's much heartbreak in that. When they walk away and refuse to heed the Word of God.

But if you love them. That's what you do. You establish them and you exhort them. And you do that, notice, because those afflictions are inevitable. Do you see what he says in verses 3 and 4? For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.

Destined for what? destined for affliction, hardship, trials, persecution. We're destined for that. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction just as it has come to pass and just as you know. You know we're right. We told you. He says we're appointed to it.

Do you realize that? Do you realize that? We are appointed to suffer. Look over at John 15. How do we know that? Why did the Apostle Paul tell them that? because Jesus says it.

John 15, verse 18. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name because they do not know him who sent me. Don't be surprised. You're destined for affliction. Young people, listen to me. You are destined for affliction.

All the rest of you, we are destined for affliction. We've been appointed to it. Don't be surprised. don't curl up in the corner and cry at your mistreatment realize that it's part of the it's the nature of our faith look over at John chapter 8 I sorry Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 These wonderful verses about being adopted into the family of God Verse 16.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs. Right? If we're children of God, we're heirs. We got this huge reward. Man, that's great.

Look what we're going to get. But notice what he says. provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. The gospel not only calls you the gospel not only calls you to share in Jesus' glory the gospel calls you to share in his sufferings as well. Look at Acts chapter 14. Acts chapter 14. By the way I mean in all the scripture I'm barely skimming the rock above here it's hit four times we could dive deep and go over and over and over and see what the bible says about this but here's another one Acts chapter 14 beginning in verse 21 when they had that's Paul and Barnabas when they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples they returned to Lystra and Tychonium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Yeah, right straight out with them. By the way, you're followers of Jesus now. Count on it. You know, what really impressed me as a young pastor was the fact, I was pastor here when this still was the Soviet Union, all right? And I can remember hearing Russian brothers who were suffering under the tyranny of communism say we will not baptize anyone before the age of 16 Now we can argue and quibble with them about that okay But here the reason why they did that He said because we know baptism means you may die or you may lose your job or you may end up being tortured by the KJV.

But you know this, when you're baptized, and you proclaim Jesus as your Lord, you are entering the path of suffering and we want you to be able to we want you to be aware of that you see you are entering the path of suffering they knew it we need to know it we need to know it so so what's the point the point is that gospel affection produces a concern that will establish people in the faith one last thing gospel affection leads to a concern for fruitful ministry. Notice what he says in verse 5. We didn't want our ministry to be in vain, to be empty, to be useless.

He fears that. Now, he's not saying I'm afraid of failure. That's not what he's saying. He's saying, I'm afraid that once I've ministered, you would have been swept away. And it would be empty then. The gospel affection moves us to the difficult work of establishing the faith of others in these inevitable hardships so that it is not in vain, so that you will stand.

And so if the gospel is working in this congregation, then it will produce an affection that leads to godly concern. And it's not the kind of concern that's going to beat you over the head. It's the kind of concern that's going to come alongside and weep with you and weep for you if you choose not to follow the way of Christ. And we pray for you and we say difficult things but will love you Listen, the gospel of Jesus transforms our lives.

It brings the good news of a Savior who delivers us from the guilt of sin and from the wrath to come, but it also comes with the good news that it can deliver us and transform us so that we're no longer living under the tyranny of sin, the power of sin can be broken and it has. And the gospel will always produce affection in God's people for God's people. And that affection will produce a godly delight in God's people and for God's people.

And that godly affection will produce, or that gospel affection will produce a godly concern in God's people and for God's people. if we are going to travel well to the end if we're going to finish well then we need to love one another we need to have true affection that only the gospel can give us father thanks for your word again and lord this is our prayer that you produce that in this congregation. Lord, I feel like praying as Apostle Paul did about the Thessalonians. You're doing well, but do it more and more.

And so I pray, increase our affection. Make the gospel so central to this congregational life that we will, we can't help but love one another. Help us to that end, we pray. Oh, Lord. make the gospel powerful here to change us, to transform us into true lovers of the people of God. We pray this for the sake of Your name and the glory of our Savior. Amen.