Keep Going! God's Working

Take your Bibles this morning. Let's turn again to the book of 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Once more I will read for us verses 1 through 10. in fact, the entire first chapter. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the Church of the Thessalonians, and God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in all our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. Let's pray.

Father, open now this text. This is the living word of God. Make it living in our hearts. Use it to encourage, to motivate. Whatever you see fit to do with this, Lord, I pray that your spirit would be at work. we are not here father to play games we are not here just to listen to another sermon we are here to be equipped we are here to listen to your voice we are here to look to you for what you will do Help us not to be satisfied with merely listening but with expecting you to work through this word We thank you in Jesus' name.

Amen. The Apostle Paul is sitting in the house of Stephanas in the city of Corinth after hours of discussion and debate about whether Jesus is the Messiah or not in the local synagogue. He looks worried, almost anguished, as his thoughts just won't leave alone this idea of the believers in Thessalonica. A few weeks ago, as he left Athens for Corinth, he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica in order to check on them, to see how they were doing in the midst of the persecution that had driven him out of the city.

He sits and prays and wonders when at the door there's a knock. And who should walk in but his young colleague, Timothy? And he has good news. The Thessalonians stand faithful. they stand together loving one another and they long to see Paul but they're wondering about him since he left so suddenly and they hadn't heard from him yet Timothy gives them a full report and they both rejoice in prayer for those dear disciples over the next two days the apostle Paul thinks about all the things he's heard and prays and and he wants to encourage these faithful believers to remain firm in the faith and to reassure them of God's grace how can he motivate and encourage and spur them on to stand and to grow calls on his friend and colleague Silas to write down what he wants to tell them and with Silas at the table pen in hand Paul begins Paul Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians and God the Father and the Lord jesus christ grace to you in peace we give thanks to god always for all of you constantly mentioning you in our prayers remembering before our god and father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our lord jesus christ for we know brothers loved by god that he has chosen you because our gospel came to you not only in word but also in power and in the holy spirit and with full conviction you know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake With that he already told them reasons for their present faithfulness and growth and for their continued faithfulness and growth.

Now what would encourage you in this day? Hostility toward us and our faith is growing every day. Let's be honest. Let's face up to it. It's true. It's true.

We're not under official persecution by any means, but it's being getting harder. It's It's becoming socially unacceptable to believe what we believe without being called bigots and hate mongers and so forth. And in fact, we may be a bit frightened about what's going on around us, but we must stand. We all know that we must stand. We cannot abandon our faith because things get difficult.

We cannot and we must not. What must we be convinced of? What must we embrace if we're to remain strong? And what we find in verses 2 through 5 is the beginning of what God is telling us is necessary, is the beginning of what Paul says explains the faithfulness they've had already and will encourage them and help them to stand firm yet in the future. Both of those things are happening here as we looked at it.

So what are the truths that we must embrace if we're going to stand strong in our day? Well, here's the first. Be convinced that God is at work in you. Chapter 1, verse 2. Be convinced that God is at work in you. Paul says that when he and Silas and Timothy get together, they spend time together praying for the believers in Thessalonica.

And it's not that they occasionally remember them in prayer. He says we're always remembering you in prayer. They persistently, diligently, regularly labor in prayer for these people. They're praying for them. And when they pray, they always give thanks for what God has done in their lives. They're always overwhelmed with thankfulness for what God is doing and what he has done.

Are you ever encouraged when folks come up to you and they say, you know what, I thank God for you. I thank God for you because you know what? You've proven to be an instrument in my life from God. I thank God for you. Are you encouraged when folks say that to you I have been I encouraged And Paul intends to do that We thank God for you We thank God for you But it also says this that the benefits you received and the conversion you experienced were due to God they're due to God not you not us God and not the Christian heralds were responsible for your salvation God and not your good efforts efforts was the source of all salvation and fruit in your life it's all of God it's all of God we thank God for you he's encouraging them with that but he's also making it clear it's God who's done the work it is God who's at work in you I thank God for you because God is at work I'm thanking God because it's his it's because of him that these things are happening faith love and hope are evidence of God's work and of his election, his choosing of you.

So what will strengthen this congregation? First of all, the conviction that God is at work. That God is at work. That gives you confidence because ultimately you realize that success does not depend on your meager efforts for faithfulness. But as you step out to be faithful, God works. He works. and your meager efforts at faithfulness will prove fruitful because God empowers those efforts.

They will accomplish something. And note the grace of God here. Note the grace of God. One of the delivery systems of grace for you is others praying for you. We ought to be praying for one another. We ought to pray for one another. not merely pray because we're sick not merely pray because things are difficult but praying that we would stand together praying that we would be faithful to God praying that we would be the kind of person God calls us to be that's how we need to be praying for one another and when someone is sick we ought to be praying God make that person a light in his sickness to the glory of your name, right?

We need to do this. He's praying for one another. That's one of God's delivery systems of grace. And God ministers His grace by saying this, Others thank God for you. God ministers grace. Listen, I can't tell you what it means when someone comes up to me and says, You know, I've been praying for you today.

That is the way God delivers grace. To accomplish the things He wants you to do. When someone walks up to you and says, Do you know I've been praying for you? I've been thanking God for you. That's how he ministers his grace. Because you can say, my father is at work because other people can see it.

You ever been there, right? God, are you doing anything in my life? And someone comes up and says, I thank God for you. Maybe you are. That's encouraging. Encourages you then towards faithfulness.

So be convinced that God is at work in you. Be convinced that God is at work transforming you. it's what he says in verse 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ now what does Paul mention first he says we go before God the Father and thank him for these things and what does he mention first he mentions this triad of Christian character faith, love, hope. Faith, love, hope.

It's interesting. Whenever the ideal of Christian character is raised in the New Testament, you will find faith, love, hope. It's fascinating to me. As I was studying, as I was looking, comparing scripture to scripture, it's fascinating to see how many times some form, some variant of faith, love, and hope is found in the New Testament. whenever Paul or even Peter whenever those talk about Christian character those three things show up very close together faith love and hope in spite of the disadvantages of being a young and persecuted congregation these believers have clear evidence of genuine and recognizable Christian character.

He's already seen it in them. He's heard from Timothy. God is at work transforming you. And these things are obvious. You cannot hide faith love and hope You cannot hide them When God is at work in your heart when God has given you a new heart when the gospel invades and transforms you if God uses the gospel to transform you, these three things are going to show up.

Faith, love, hope. You got them down yet? The triad of Christian character. And as they gather for prayer, these servants remember before God and their Father these three things, their faith, their love, and their hope. People should see your work produced by faith. Now faith alone saves you, no doubt about that.

The Apostle Paul is clear. In no way does he contradict himself when he says works of faith, or what he means here is work produced by faith. Faith is always alone when it lays hold of Christ. It's faith alone that saves you, saves you but faith is never alone in its fruits it always produces something turn over to Hebrews chapter 3 for a moment Hebrews chapter 3 I want you to look at the apostle Paul is trying to encourage now I'm sorry not the apostle Paul the writer to the Hebrews is trying to encourage these people to be steadfast to endure just like the Apostle Paul is doing in Thessalonians.

So in this book, because of the preeminence of Christ, the writer is trying to communicate to these people, don't abandon your faith. Don't abandon Christ. He is the ultimate. You must stay faithful to him. And here's what you must understand. And so he's encouraging them.

He's trying to motivate them to remain faithful in the face of difficulty. And in chapter 3, verse 15, the writer says this, as it is said, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. He's making reference to the children of Israel on the River Jordan before they cross. And he says, for who were those who heard and yet rebelled?

Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? and to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest but to those note who were disobedient so we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief now notice the parallelism there he says he says that they didn go in because they were disobedient and then he turns right around and says they are unable to enter because of unbelief What's the connection there?

It's simply this. Do you remember when we went through the book of Genesis? Do you remember that study? I have an advantage. I had to put the sermons together. I tend to remember them.

Nevertheless, I hope you remember that in the book of Genesis, from chapter 12 to the end, it's all about the seed of Abraham. And how God over and over and over and over is saying, there's something coming for you. You're special. I've got you. Nothing is going to keep me from fulfilling my promises. The whole book of Genesis is about God is going to keep his word.

And so when they're standing on the edge of Jordan, and the spies come back and say, oh, the people are like giants. The walls of the cities go to the sky. We can never conquer this country. And they rebelled against God. What was that? Was that just bare disobedience?

No, it was a lack of faith. Why were they disobedient? Because they really didn't believe. God had made the point over and over and over and over again in the stories that Moses was telling them that God had chosen them. They were special. He was going to accomplish his purposes.

The land is yours. Go take it. And when they came back with a bad report, they said, we're not going to go in. What was that? That was unbelief. If they really believed the promises of God, what would they have done?

They would have gone. They would have gone, wouldn't they have? You see, faith always does something. It will always. Faith alone is what saves you, but that faith will always produce something. If you really believe, then something different is going to happen in your life.

I think of Paul. Paul Savage. as he approaches death, still going to church, still ministering to people through the radio, and ministering to the guy on air who runs the station, who owns the station. He decided to interview Paul Spears. I can't remember his first name. He used to be at WMRN. He started this station.

So he interviews Paul. And on the air, Paul is just sharing the gospel with him. Right? tell him about the gospel and so forth. He still encourages others as they visit Why Because he believes the promise of God glory Paul does not believe this is the end of everything He knows he coming to the transition step but it doesn stop him Why Because he believes what God says and it makes a difference.

That's what the Apostle Paul is saying. He says, I look at you and I see works that are produced by faith. That's what people should see. God transforms you so that your faith results in works. Note as well, others should see your labor prompted by love. You know, Jesus calls his disciples to be slaves, doesn't he?

Slavery is the way to greatness. Labor, and this word labor means hard, exhausting labor. Hard, exhausting labor produced by love. And it's only possible because of love. Notice in Romans 5 what the Apostle Paul says. By the way, this is one of those passages is where you're going to find faith, hope, and love all together.

In chapter 5 of Romans, verses 1 through 5, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

We have this love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Love prompts hard labor. I mean, face it, guys, who loves babies more than we do? Their moms. You know how I know that? They change diapers. that is a labor of love.

I'm telling you right now. Right? That's a labor of love, isn't it? Oh, changing diapers, man. One of the most exhausting, horrible things in the world, isn't it? And yet, and yet, I love that little creature.

I can't let that continue. That's going to have bad results. I love him. You see, love produces this kind of labor. Labor prompted by love. What does a Laotian teenager...

Why does this Laotian teenager continue to work in the rice fields when her parents despise her for her Christian faith? Why do they do that? Because God loves his enemies by providing their needs and she loves them. And so she does those things even when it's not appreciated. Besides, she looks at her life and knows that Jesus died for her when she wanted nothing to do with him.

Of course she's going to do that. I think of Mark who has devoted himself to the frustrating ministry of helping addicts. How can he do it? You know how he can do it? Because he remembers that God loved him when he was beyond hope. And God intervened and loved and changed him.

How can he not do it? If God intervened in his life, how can he not do the same for others? how can you not do that difficult frustrating labor when god in love captured his heart people should see in you labor prompted by love people should see steadfastness endurance that is inspired by hope in the lord jesus christ this endurance that he messes that he that he mentions here love and steadfastness of hope in our lord jesus christ it's an endurance that's fueled by the promise of jesus return they're enduring because they know jesus will return there's a hope that jesus will return not a hope so but an expectant and expectant expectant confidence that Jesus is returning. And what happens when Jesus returns?

What happens? He comes in glory to bring rest and joy and peace and glory. He's bringing all that with him. Some of you are retired. It's amazing to me. When I first came here, there was only like two or two or three people retired at most Now there a bunch of you out there retired Let me ask you six weeks from your retirement what was work like Hmm You got to admit the things that would disappoint you and the things that would just ruin your day six weeks from retirement they don even weigh on you Yeah, I can handle this.

I've only got a few more weeks and I'm done with this, right? That's what's going on here. They know something good is coming. All of this that's happening to them, all this persecution, right? It's all going to be exchanged for rest and glory. All of it gone.

Of course, I've mentioned it so many times, so many times. But I always think of 2 Corinthians chapter 4, 16 through 18, where the Apostle Paul says, these light and momentary troubles, these light and momentary troubles of shipwreck and being beaten with rods and whipped with whips and having my flesh torn apart. and all these light and momentary troubles are working for us an eternal weight of glory for what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal right what's where is this all going it's going to glory i can handle it i can endure what else happens when jesus returns he doesn't just bring joy and peace and glory and rest what else happens just flip over a page or two to second Thessalonians because in the next book which we're going to go to we're done first Thessalonians he deals a lot more with this idea of Jesus coming back and in second Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 5 notice what he says here this is evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are also suffering since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you now that may seem almost sub-christian to you doesn't it God's saying the people who trouble you I'm going to trouble them well what's he saying not saying don't worry I'm going to take revenge for you he's saying justice is coming justice is on the way. Justice is on the way.

We can endure. Why? Because there's coming a day when Jesus himself will sit in judgment of all nations and all peoples and he will set the score right I can endure because I know that there is a God who is just and he will see that justice is done Jesus himself endured opposition with this in mind Jesus endured that with this in mind. In 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 23, in that section where it's talking about Jesus has left you an example of suffering.

Follow it. And here the apostle Peter writes, when he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued to entrust himself to him who judges justly. You see that? How is it that Jesus endured the cross? Because his attitude was, I'm going to entrust myself to my father who judges justly.

All right? I don't need to threaten. I don't need to revile. justice will be accomplished without me God will see that it's done. So because of that hope that hope of rest and that hope of justice you can remain steadfast. You can endure. So be convinced that God is at work transforming you.

Giving you all that you need to stand. Faith love hope all so that you can stand. He's transforming you. Lastly, if we're going to stand, what do we need to be convinced of? Be convinced that God is at work in choosing you. Verses 4 and 5.

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you. Because our gospel came to you, not only in word, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake. Now you might be thinking, no, no, Paul. Are you kidding? These people have just endured the heat of persecution, and you want to start an argument about election?

Because that's how we think of election, don't we? The big doctrine that we've got to fight for. Controversy. We've got to do it. But Paul does not intend to stir up controversy. He intends to offer comfort.

Whoa. Did I hear you right, Pastor Tim? The doctrine of election is intended to give us comfort Absolutely Absolutely He wants to comfort them with this doctrine with this idea that God chose them In election, notice, you're beloved. God loves you in election. Do you see that? He says in verse 4, for we know, brothers, loved by God that he chose you. election is a sign of god's love it's a sign of his love in election god loves you now when we go to the polls when you go to the polls to elect someone that is to choose someone for office what who do you choose you go out of your way to choose the most unqualified ridiculous undignified person in the world, right?

Is that what you do? No. You choose on the merits of the individual. You think who's going to be, you think, who you think is the best man or woman for the job, who's the most gifted, who has the best character. That's what you're looking for. But lo and behold, that's not what God's looking for when he chooses.

Now, no, in love, this is love he chooses people like you and me who don't deserve it who did he choose here who's he talking to look at verse 9 these are people who what worshiped idols these are people who worshiped idols these are people who who the same apostle paul describes in romans 1 is turning their back on the revelation of god and being futile and darkening their understanding and choosing to worship idols rather than the true god those are the ones that god chooses and intervenes with this grace. That's love. That is love.

What else happens? By election, he makes you family. Verse four, brothers loved by God. He makes you family. You are put into a family where you stand together. When God chooses people, he doesn't choose them in isolation from everyone else.

He's when he says, for God chose you. He's not talking, he's not saying God chose you. He's saying God chose you, all of you. You stand together, your brothers, your sisters, you stand now in love. He chose you so you can stand together. I don't know about you.

It's hard to stand alone. It's hard to stand alone. But God says, no, I put you together. I've chosen you as a family. You stand together. And the last implication is that through election, God separates you from the rest of humanity as the community of God.

You know that election has social implications. It makes you the member of another community. Yeah, we're all part of this village. We're all part of LaRue or Marysville or wherever you come from. You're all part of your respective communities, right? But through election, we're put into another community, one that supersedes all others.

In fact, let's face it, it's the winning community, right? Isn't it wonderful that God chooses you? Isn't it marvelous that he chooses you? Yeah. if he chooses you, you can stand. You know you're chosen. But someone says, but how do you know God's chosen you?

How do you know God's chosen me? How do I know? Isn't that the question that always comes up? What I find fascinating here, Paul is nothing but confident when he says, we know God has chosen you. Do you get that? Do you notice that in verse 4?

We know that God chose you. Wait a minute, Paul. Hold on, Paul. You may be an apostle and all, but you're going to actually tell people that they know that they've been chosen? And the answer is, read it. There it is.

We know that you are loved brothers, that God chose you. How is that? How do you know that? He lists the things that tells him that they're the chosen ones. Alright, first of all, he says the gospel didn't come to you in word only. The proclamation of the gospel comes and it's not merely heard.

And you don just give it lip service It didn just come with words and everyone says yeah I believe that It wasn that at all What happened The gospel came with power It came with power It does something to you It transforms you It gives you a new life It turns you away from your old allegiances of self, in their case of idols. It turns you away from your old allegiances to seek the new loyalty to God, a loyalty that cannot be broken. It transforms you to the very core of your being so that now there's power.

This power comes and changes you. And it's a power that is nothing less than the power of God, the Holy Spirit. It comes with power and in the Holy Spirit. There is the source of that power. Something divine invades and transforms you and in a powerful way changes your orientation. I was lecturing at Clear Creek yesterday for their counseling class.

And, of course, I've got lots of old friends down there. And I was talking to Becky and Greg. They have a son named Aaron. Aaron was a rebel. A rebel. And Becky was telling me, how's your family?

Oh, this is going on. What's happening there? And so forth. How's your family? And she says, you know, Aaron, Aaron and Nicole, their marriage almost ended. Aaron was driving a UPS truck and would polish off a bottle of vodka before he'd go home.

He was miserable. Their marriage almost ended, but God got a hold of his life. And he was converted. And now he is a happy, contented, happily married man with children. and man she says he's like it's like night and day i said i said to beck it's that kind of stuff that makes you think the bible's true isn't it right it's that kind of stuff that makes the bible true that you're convinced of the that the bible's true because it says you're going to be changed and that's what he's talking about here that's what he's talking about here the power that comes the power that that powerfully works in you and changes your heart all by the holy Spirit And then he says there near the very last and with full conviction with deep conviction The Gospel comes with full conviction.

I love what scholar F.F. Bruce wrote. He says there, what is this full conviction? It is a deep, inward persuasion of the truth of the Gospel. A token of the Holy Spirit's work in their hearts. more impressive and more lasting than the persuasion produced by spectacular or miraculous signs. You know what's even more spectacular than someone coming along and saying, I know I believe, look at all these miracles that are happening.

What's even more spectacular than that is the power that comes in and produces this deep conviction that lasts. that's much more persuasive than any miraculous sign that you could see. The Holy Spirit has come and transformed them. And lastly, the very last sentence of verse 5, you know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake. Lastly, he says, you recognize that the character of the messengers matched the message.

It's actually part of the message. That is to say, you see that we were messengers with a divine message, not some guys with a message that promoted themselves. You saw, you recognized us for who we are. Our lives match the message. And so when you looked at us, you did not see us as men who are out promoting themselves. This is what he's going to talk about in the very next chapter.

He's going to talk about that ministry that wasn't about promoting self, but was entrusted with the gospel. He says, you saw that we weren't out saying these things just to promote ourselves. You saw what was really true, that we brought a message from God. You recognized divine messengers when they came to you. So how is it then that you have works of faith, labor of love, and hope in the Lord Jesus?

Because the gospel has worked in you. How is it that you are convinced of God choosing you of God election the gospel has worked How do you really know you one of God elect Because you don't just claim the gospel. The gospel claims you. That's how you know. You can stand. You can stand when you're convinced that God has chosen you. the gospel always arrives with good news it always arrives with the good news that jesus has come to save and to transform sinners that he died for sinners and that's the gospel that powerfully powerfully works in us and because of the gospel you can be convinced that god is at work in you because of the gospel you can be convinced that god is at work transforming you because of the gospel, you can be convinced that God has chosen you.

You know that Jesus died at the hands of his opposition so that you can stand in the face of opposition. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word that encourages us. Thank you for a word that encourages us to continue and to keep going. You are so gracious to us. You don't leave us alone to find the motivation within ourselves to dig deeper for what we need in order to stand.

You give it to us by your grace. Thank you for that. Encourage your people today by your word. Help them. Encourage us to stand, to live for you. Thank you for a Savior. who by His death broke our bonds of slavery so that as free men we can now stand and faithfully serve You.

Help us to do that now, we pray. In Jesus' name, Amen.