Worship call 0804 Honoring the Lord loving God

1 Thes 5:14-18 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

The apostle Paul's epistle to the Thessalonians contains clear and powerful exhortations concerning the will of God for believers. These exhortations express the specific will of God in relationships with others, with ourselves, and with the Lord. Packed into these short verses are patterns of life and behavior which receive His blessing in all these relationships.

"Warn them that are unruly"; people who are idle, undisciplined, pleasure seeking, need to know the danger they are in."Comfort the feebleminded"; comfort people who are disheartened; come alongside them with brotherly affection and encouraging words, and pray for them.

"Support the weak"; our natural tendency is to despise and neglect weaker people, to stay away from them since they have nothing to offer us, and can damage our reputation. Yeshua (Jesus) says no, find them, and lift them up however you can.

"Be patient toward all men"; realizing how patient God is with you, and that "patient" is the first thing that love is, [1 Cor. 13:4]. It means waiting in love and hope, with prayer, for people to see what they need to see, do what they need to do, change how they need to change.

"See that none render evil for evil;" do not allow evil men in this world to corrupt your own behavior and character. This is a constant temptation throughout life because evil people are everywhere, including the church.

"Follow that which is good"; being and doing good of every kind is our lifelong mandate as believers; there are millions of ways to obey it. This is God's will for us toward all men – even those who don't deserve it!

"Rejoice evermore"; Yeshua has rescued your eternity from unspeakable misery and pain to everlasting joy and pleasure. The constant reality of your life is undergirded by an ecstatic future forever. You can afford to be quite happy about it.

"Pray without ceasing"; 'impossible', you say. Given the fact that your relationship with the Lord is wide open to communication with Him 24/7, why not continually include Him in your words and thoughts?

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you"; gratitude is a life saver, apart from being the most appropriate response to having been created, redeemed, and blessed by our loving Lord. Thankfulness in all things turns you into the beautiful soul your were intended to be. Gratitude in the midst of suffering is a special perfume for the Lord.

Robert, the will of God is not so hard to figure out when we read these simple statements. Just obeying these exhortations is enough to do for a lifetime. Wherever the Lord calls you, He calls you to this lifestyle. God's Holy Spirit inspired these words, and He alone gives the power to carry them out. Our part is to believe and act, He will fill us as we do.

I had to took the morning off unexpectantly Thursday morning. I had a particularly hard time Wednesday night delivering the message and even closed it down early. I could blame it on the all that is going on in life, but really I believe that I was being disconnected from the power the spirit that left me empty. I didn’t even want to pray with Becca before we went to bed.

I’m thankful to the Lord even so to make me realize that I can do nothing without his filling. Without his empowerment. Becca and I took the morning to reconnect to each other and to our Lord and spirit.

It's nice to be back.

John 5:20–24 (ESV) — 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Here is the why. Here is the why of bible study, of prayer. Here is the meaning to our existence, whether we are living in Taj Mahal or living in some trailer park in Detroit trying to make a measly living. Ours is to come to Love of Christ to connect with Him with all of our hearts with all of our minds and with all of our strengths.

Who is your God who is your savior who is your Jesus. Tell me about Him. Is there enough in your hearts to speak of your risen savior as a you had been with a guy or a girl in your life that you had been head over heals with. And if now she is your wife, I pray that she is even more to you than before.

And while we are on the subject the spiritual life is like the courtship of the one whom we are engaged to be married to. Like Jacob and Rachel over those seven years to be married as Jacob was working on obtaining the bride price for her hand in marriage through labor.

This is our courtship. We don’t have to wait until we leave the body to enjoy being with Him.

Genesis 29:20 (ESV) — 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

Yes, like the jewish custom, the bridegroom is away and our hearts are anxiously waiting for His return. But again do you know who we are waiting for.

It is the water of God’s word that is cleansing and sanctifying us that we might be found spotless and blameless when the bridegroom appears. Our love for him is our life.

John 5:23 (ESV) — 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

We say we love God. God shows his love and that he is a romantic considering the wonders of creation. You know the marriage story is illustrated in the book of genesis of the one who is Love prepares the best romantic setting for his bride. And if you are going to do it right guys and prepare a romantic setting for our lover our bride we want to appeal to all five senses

Touch

Smell

Taste

Sight

Hearing

God gave all of that and then he invited his bride as he created man with the five senses to enjoy his creation as to woe man to Love him in return.

God is still wooing us. He is wooing us with His son giving his son to us as a Father selects a bride for his son.

WE cannot love God apart from Loving his son. Without the son there stands a chasm that we cannot cross between ourselves and the God whom we profess to love.

Christ is the bridge to loving God.

Christ is the bridge to honor God.

Christ is the bride to living forever with God.

John 5:24 (ESV) — 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

So important that we know the case of the verb is

A present active indicative or present active participles is that which is a continual action. It is not something you had done in the past and consider it a done deal. Sadly that is like many marriages. Oh how sad.

Might I say if you are not infatuated with your wife or if your not infatuated with your husband, recognize it as something that needs be addressed between you two.

How?

First check your love for God through his son. And husbands take your wife by the hand and lead her in that direction. And wives pray and support your husbands in his endeavoring to draw near to your Lord. When you draw as a couple to the Lord together your will find out what Marriage is all about and kindle a burning love that you could imagine that you’d have for the one whom God has given you.

ἀκούωa; ἀκοήa, ῆς f—‘to hear, hearing.

Hearing is a present active participle

It is a continual action.

You keep hearing. You keep listening. You keep receiving God’s word. Not just on Sundays! Not just two times a week but you are hearing God’s word, meditating on it day and night praying as you go for even greater insights and wisdom.

Proverbs 2 the pursuit of wisdom brings security

Pursuit is the present active which means that you are actively engaged.

Romans 10:17 (ESV) — 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

You cannot love God and love his Christ being willfully ignorant. You can emote with your, “oh how I love Jesus sentimentality as you get pumped up at your next Sunday morning pep rally for Jesus, but when he does return you’ll find how little your sentimentality actually meant when the Lord awards those with great honor of who kept his word.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me,

And

πιστεύωb; πίστιςb, εως f: to believe to the extent of complete trust and reliance—‘to believe in, to have confidence in, to have faith in, to trust, faith, trust.’

No, not an aorist which was something you once did when you first believed and went on your way. No the present active means a continually faithing.

Faithfully faithing. Not letting up. You are Jacob wresting with the Lord on the bank of the Jabbok river when darkness is lifted and you are left holding on to the Lord.

Genesis 32:26 (ESV) — 26 Then he (the Lord) said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

And then because of this holding on and not letting go what happened then?

Genesis 32:27–28 (ESV) — 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Jacob the heal grabber was given by the Lord a new identity that connects him with the one whom he spent the night wrestling with.

Your identity will change as well as your own identity forged by your heredity, your bad decisions, your environment will fall by the way and to take up a new identity in Christ forged by your holding on to the Logos the word of the Lord.

John 5:24 (ESV) — 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Your eternity started at your new birth, and while the world is waiting for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven your eternal life is already in God’s will being done in you as it is in heaven. Your eternal life becomes a conduit of blessing from heaven to others and in this dark world as waters of living water is being poured out.

Christ defeated death. IN Christ we have already passed from death as we were dead in Him destined for the grave and the lake of fire and now, we have been made alive in our relationship with the Christ.