Firm in Faith
Standing Firm: Lessons from I Thessalonians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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When it comes to being a Christian in this world, do you ever feel like you are the crazy one? You may wonder if we are too strict, too archaic in our thinking. Is compromising on some seemingly more minor issues in scripture for the greater good? Maybe we make too big a deal of some of the bible’s teachings.
In 1938 a thriller play debuted entitled Gas Light. It was set among London's elite during the Victorian era. It portrays a seemingly genteel husband using lies and manipulation to isolate his heiress wife and persuade her that she is mentally unwell so that he can steal from her.
In the story the husband secretly dims and brightens the indoor gas-powered lighting but insists his wife is imagining it, making her think she is going insane. It’s diabolically genius. Overtime She will believe herself to be unfit and turn over control of her health willing. In essence, instead of trying to force her to do it. He devises a way to for her to turn her wealth over to him of her own volition using manipulation. This is not a fast plan but yet a very effective one for those who are patient.
This play turned movie has had such great notoriety that the term “gas lighting” is now used in psychology to describe people or entities that manipulate situations and information in order to control the thoughts and actions of others without using force.
In light of this information, please consider the enemy's actions with me. In the last 50 + years, we have redefined the definitions of morality, a biblical sexual ethic, love, marriage, gender, Husband and wife relationships, truth, church, and even the scientific method itself.
Yet here is where the gas lighting comes into play. Now we are being sold the lie that these things have always been defined this way, and the Bible believers are trying to change these definitions to fit their worldview. It is Christ's followers who are trying to rewrite everything. We are the problem.
So let me ask you the question again. Do you ever struggle with feeling like maybe we are the crazy ones? And if the answer is “yes,” you are in good company. Why would I say that? Because it is a well-devised and crafted long-con to make you question your sanity and beliefs.
But I also want you to know that this strategy is nothing new. This is one of the reasons Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians. He wrote it to encourage believers to recognize scripture's solid foundation and stand firm. Over these next four weeks, we will be looking at four areas of standing firm found in I Thessalonians.
Stand firm in the faith.
Stand firm in the faith.
Stand firm in Suffering.
Stand firm in Suffering.
Stand firm in Righteous living.
Stand firm in Righteous living.
Stand Firm in the Future.
Stand Firm in the Future.
“Thessalonica was a coastal town on the major Roman road, Via Ignatia (the way of the nations), running eastward from Rome. A seaport, it was also very close to a rich, well-watered, coastal plain. These three advantages made Thessalonica the largest, most important commercial and political center in Macedonia. Thessalonica was a cosmopolitan metropolis similar to Corinth, inhabited by peoples from all over the known world. Barbaric Germanic peoples from the north were living there, bringing with them their pagan religion and culture. Greeks lived there, coming from Achaia to the south and from the islands of the Aegean Sea, in turn bringing their refinement and philosophy. Romans from the west also settled there. They were mostly retired soldiers and they brought their strength of will, wealth and political power. Finally, Jews came in large numbers from the east; eventually one third of the population was Jewish. They brought with them their ethical monotheistic faith and their national prejudices.[1]”
[1] From Bob Utley’s Online Commentary on 1st Thessalonians; http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL07/VOL07B_introduction.html
So Thessalonica was a very diverse coastal town where people from all over the Roman empire and beyond came to live. Due to the drawing of people from many places and cultures came to many different belief systems and worship, none of them Christian.
This made Thessalonica an unlikely and interesting place for the church to take root.
Does this sound familiar?
A coastal town where people from all over the country and beyond are coming to live with very diverse and antichristian ideas and views. Can you relate?
Yet the church thrived.
So Paul wanted to encourage this town's believers, writing the letter we call I Thessalonians.
I Thessalonians is unique because every chapter ends with a reference to the return of Christ.
If you were a part of our “How to Study the Bible class? This is what we would recognize as a theme or an umbrella statement. In other words, all of the book is to be interpreted with the return of Christ in mind.
“Thessalonica was a coastal town on the major Roman road, Via Ignatia (the way of the nations), running eastward from Rome. A seaport, it was also very close to a rich, well-watered, coastal plain. These three advantages made Thessalonica the largest, most important commercial and political center in Macedonia. Thessalonica was a cosmopolitan metropolis similar to Corinth, inhabited by peoples from all over the known world. Barbaric Germanic peoples from the north were living there, bringing with them their pagan religion and culture. Greeks lived there, coming from Achaia to the south and from the islands of the Aegean Sea, in turn bringing their refinement and philosophy. Romans from the west also settled there. They were mostly retired soldiers and they brought their strength of will, wealth and political power. Finally, Jews came in large numbers from the east; eventually one third of the population was Jewish. They brought with them their ethical monotheistic faith and their national prejudices.[1]”
[1] From Bob Utley’s Online Commentary on 1st Thessalonians; http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL07/VOL07B_introduction.html
So Thessalonica was a very diverse coastal town where people from all over the Roman empire and beyond came to live. Due to the drawing of people from many places and cultures came to many different belief systems and worship, none of them Christian.
This made Thessalonica an an unlikely and interesting place for the church to take root.
Does this sound familiar?
A coastal town where people from all over the country and beyond are coming to live with very diverse and antichristian ideas and views. Can you relate?
Yet the church thrived.
So Paul wanting to encourage the believers of this town wrote the letter we call I Thessalonians.
I Thessalonians is unique because every chapter ends with a reference to the the return of Christ.
If you were a part of our “How to study the Bible class? This is what we would recognize as a theme or a umbrella statement. In other words, all of the book is to be interpreted with the return of Christ in mind.
10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
19 For who is our hope or joy or crown of boasting in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?
13 May he make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Amen.
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So then we have a letter written to a group of people in a similar culture, and in light of Christ’s return, we are to stand firm in faith. But you all know that, right? If I were to ask you in a survey, Do you believe you should stand firm in the faith even if it is unpopular? I think many, if not all, of you, would check the “yes” box.
It’s probably safe to assume that every true believer knows they must stand firm in the faith.
So why do we live in a day when so many depart from the faith?
So it would seem that the question for us to tackle today is not whether or not we should stand firm in the faith but rather “How do we stand firm in the faith?”
11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.
The Greek word for encourage are you ready for this means to encourage.
Websters dictionary defines it this way, “To Give courage too.”
So many times we say we are looking for encouragement but what we are really looking for is affirmation.
Whats the difference.
Scenario one:
Mrs. Feelsorryforme goes to Mrs. bleeding heart, and says I have just been so hurt at church by Mr. Snide that I can no longer attend. Mrs bleeding heart says to her I am so sorry you were hurt and I understand why you are leaving.
Did Miss bleeding heart encourage her? No. Instead she affirmed her lack of forgiveness and the nursing of the wound.
Scenario two:
This time Mrs. Feelsorryforme goes to Miss encouragement with the same complaint. However this time, Miss Encouragement says, I am really sorry your feelings were hurt. Can we pray together right now that Christ will give the courage to lovingly approach Mr. Snide about his actions and and also give us the strength forgive him as a brother as Christ has forgiven us?
Now what just happend? Both Miss Feelsorryforme and Mr. Snide are encouraged (given courage) to look at their own lives in light of the gospel message and change.
Which brings us to the next part of verse 11.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.
The word “build” here is another one of those Greek words that is a really complex word. The word, build means…Does anyone want to guess? To build.
Have any of you ever watched anyone build anything before? I will continue to wow you this morning with my scholarly knowledge.
Have you ever seen anyone build anything without adding something to the project? In other words, If I am working on building a house. Am I actually building it if I am not adding some material or element that isn’t previously there?
Well, the obvious answer is “no.”
It requires adding something to the project. It requires thought and intentionality.
So then, Church family, I ask you these two sets of questions as gently as possible.
Two Questions:
Two Questions:
What are you adding to lives of people around you?
What are you adding to lives of people around you?
What if we only said anything with the intent of building something?
What if we had encouragement radar? What if every day we looked around for opportunities to encourage and support one another in our growth?
Now some of you area already thinking; Pastor Brett we can’t only go around saying positive things. Not everything is positive.
maybe not, but what we can do is determine that anything that comes our of our mouths or actions that come out of our hearts will only have the intent to be encouraging and add something of real value and worth to the
build up the lives of those around us.
Church family this is essential in creating a system where people continue growing in the faith despite difficult times.
There are some people that are so used to being sarcastic and negative you don’t even realize you are doing it. There are people who are so quick to criticize that they don't realize their reputation is like this guy.
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A hour with this type of person and you feel like you need to go home turn off the lights, lock your doors and binge watch the 80’s Care Bears cartoon.
This isn’t who you are in Christ. You were made to be an encourage to build others up. To get your eyes off of yourself and through Christ overcome the world not be overcome by it.
Now there is another basic question that has to be asked in order to build and encourage others.
Can anything be built without personal involvement?
Can anything be built without personal involvement?
The answer is obvious I think but the implications are not as obvious.
We can’t be involved if we are not involved.
Can I be honest for a moment, One of our biggest struggles we have as a church is to move beyond the surface level relationships of Sunday morning into a true community/family. Please hear me out, I am not saying their are not pockets of close relationships within our church. I see many of our senior members that are very dedicated to each other. I am not saying you should attempt to be close to everyone.
So then what am I saying.
Many of you have more than one sibling?Is it not safe to say that you have a closer relationship with one than another. But is it also true to say that while you are closer to one sibling, you know the the others and have spent at least some time with them. This is how a family operates. And encouragement and building each other up best takes place within the relationship of a family.
You can’t be best friends with everyone but in a church of this size, you can take it upon yourself to get to know everyone. So look around the room. Are their people you do not know.
So here is what we do with this verse. We add our own exclusions clauses... Encourage unless...
You are busy.
You are shy.
You are quiet.
You are introverted.
You are angry.
You are new.
You are discouraged.
You don't’ like the preacher, the preaching or the music.
And I am sure we could think of a few more.
But notice there is no exclusion clause. In fact if we look at the last part of this verse.
11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.
The scripture assume that we are already a congregation full of encourages and builders not a congregation of critics and complainers.
So then what does this have to do with standing firm?
5 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
All of us our a building project.... All of us need to be built up. All of us need to have others adding into our lives spiritual encouragement. One of the most common factors in someone walking away from the church and faith is discouragement.
13 But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception.
So again How do we stand firm in the faith? We must become a people of encouragement. We must live this out no matter how awkward it feels to give it and receive it. We need it.