Gospel-Centered

Lead Vocalist (Joel)

Welcome & Announcements (Bubba)

Good morning family!

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3 announcements:

1) Trunk or Treat, October 27

2) Pillar Network Joint Service, TONIGHT at 6 PM

PBC is hosting a joint worship service with six other Pillar Network churches in our region.

Our goal in tonight’s service is to share the vision for the Spanish-speaking church we’re partnering to plant in early 2025.

We strongly encourage you to attend if you’re able.

3) Help Needed for Tonight

To make room for the service tonight we need to setup about 100 additional chairs

If you’re able to help, please meet Al Koth at the stage immediately after the service.

Now please take a moment of silence to prepare your heart for worship.

Call to Worship (Revelation 1:7-8)

Prayer of Praise (Shelly Robertson)

Lovingkindness

He Calls Me Friend

Prayer of Confession (Hopelessness), Stephen Keatts

Assurance of Pardon (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Rock of Ages

The Lord is My Salvation

Scripture Reading (1 Thess 1:1-3)

You can find it on page 1172 in the black Bibles

Pastoral Prayer (Bubba)

Prayer for PBC—Building & Grounds ministry

Prayer for sister church—Seaford Baptist Church (Michael Howard)

Prayer for US—President

Prayer for the world—Swaziland

Pray for the sermon

SERMON

START TIMER!!!

Last Sunday at Temple...

Why we should care

Just like the rising tide raises all ships, as one church in our area gets healthier, it helps all our churches!

One reason I am so excited about our joint service tonight. I really hope you will make it a priority to be with us if you’re able.

While we were away, Sterling faithfully preached God’s Word here last Sunday

If you struggle with Bible reading, or Bible memory, or Bible meditation, you should listen to that sermon!

Because of my week off, I’ve had several weeks to get ready for this sermon.

And it’s only one verse of Scripture!

After preaching multiple sermons in recent months that covered multiple chapters, you would think I would feel ready to preach this morning.

But I don’t.

But the thing about being a pastor is, Sunday always comes whether you feel ready or not.

So I need to ask for God’s help one more time before we get started. Would you pray with me?

PRAY

The opening verses of most New Testament letters are a lot like the envelope to a letter.

They’re filled with names, locations, and miscellaneous details that seem ancient and irrelevant to most of us.

And much like the information on an envelope, the information in the opening verses of a NT letter is often quickly skimmed and quickly forgotten.

Our goal is to quickly get past these opening words so we can move on to the real meat of the letter.

But unlike the information on an envelope, the opening words in a New Testament letter are the word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16–17—All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Notice the text doesn’t say “All Scripture is breathed out by God. . . except for the boring parts like introductions and genealogies.

ALL of this is the Word of God, and ALL of it has something to say for God’s people today!

Today we’re beginning a new sermon series studying two books in your Bible called 1-2 Thessalonians.

These are letters written by the Apostle Paul to a young local church in a town called Thessalonica.

Unlike some of Paul’s later letters like Galatians and 1-2 Corinthians, this church is doing really well.

Bible scholar G.K. Beale explains, “This is the only letter of Paul’s in which the introductory thanksgiving is not limited to the opening paragraph but covers the span of the first three chapters.” [1]

Paul is incredibly grateful for this church because it is thriving.

They are not a perfect church. They have some things to work on, which Paul will later address. And they need to continue in the things that they are doing well. But by and large, this is a church with much to encourage.

And that’s why the Lord led me to study these books of the Bible as a church.

PBC is not a perfect church. We have some things to work on like any church does. And we need to continue in the things that we are doing well. But by and large, PBC is a church with much to encourage.

My prayer for us as we study these letters is that God will use His Word to help us thrive, just as He did with the church in Thessalonica.

There are many reasons this church is thriving, which we will uncover as we study these two letters together.

But first and foremost, this church is thriving because they have not moved on past the basic message of Christianity.

This church is thriving because they have not graduated past the Good News of the Gospel.

Here’s the Big Idea I hope to communicate this morning: If we want to thrive as a local church, we must remain centered on the gospel.

In the first verse of this letter, a verse many of us may be tempted to breeze past, I want to show you THREE CLUES of a Gospel-Centered Church:

First we’ll see the Gospel MINISTERS who helped plant this church.

Then we’ll see the Gospel IDENTITY of the church itself.

And finally we’ll see the Gospel BLESSINGS available to all who belong to Christ.

But before we do that, it’s important that everyone here understands what we mean when we talk about the gospel.

We can’t possibly be a church centered on the gospel if we don’t know what the gospel is.

The word “gospel” literally means “good news.”

But what is the good news about?

Sterling did a great job reminding us of one of the ways we explain the Gospel last week: God, man, Christ, response.

Another way to explain this good news is by remembering THREE CIRCLES.

SHOW THREE CIRCLES IMAGE

In the first circle is GOD’S DESIGN. This is the world as God intended it. A perfect world without suffering, sin, or death.

Our first parents Adam and Eve disobeyed God—something the Bible calls sin.

This sin led to the second circle, BROKENNESS.

Now we live in a world where things aren’t right.

It’s a world filled with cancer and cyclones, muckraking and murder, pornography and pandemics, disease and death.

But God loved the world so much He sent His Son to live a sinless life and die a sinner’s death and rise from the death. This is the third circle, GOSPEL.

If you want to explain the gospel in a sentence, it’s the good news about how God rescues sinners through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

We respond to that good news when we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus.

And those of us who have done that can now recover and pursue God’s design by living lives of faithfulness and obedience to Jesus.

So a Gospel-Centered church is one that remains focused on THIS good news.

That’s what we want to do at PBC, with God’s help.

And it’s something we CAN do, because the Thessalonian church DID.

We see our first clue that this church was Gospel-centered by looking at three...

1) Gospel MINISTERS

Our letters today typically begin with the recipient’s name, but in those days letters typically began with the name of the sender.

And in the first line of this letter we see three names, each one a gospel minister that was influential in this little church.

Let’s begin with...

Paul . . .

Paul is probably the most famous Christian of all time.

He once persecuted Christians, until he had a radical encounter with Jesus and became one of them.

You can read the story of how Paul became a Christian in Acts 9.

Although he doesn’t say it here, Paul was one of the Apostles of the New Testament church.

The word "Apostle" literally means "sent one."

In one sense all Christians are "sent ones", but the Apostles were sent out in a special way.

The Apostles were a limited group of men handpicked by Jesus to help establish the early church.

That means there are no Apostles today, no matter what some churches call their leaders.

Paul says this about the apostles in another letter...

Ephesians 2:19–20—So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.

Paul is saying the church is built on the foundation of the Scriptures.

Jesus is the cornerstone, the centerpiece, the focus of the Scriptures.

The Old Testament was written by the prophets and the New Testament was written by Apostles, like Paul.

So here’s a lesson for churches that want to be Gospel-centered today:

Our job is not to raise up new apostles, but faithfully commit ourselves to what the apostles have already said in the pages of Scripture.

Rather than looking for a fresh word from the Lord from some inspirational minister, our priority is to better understand the Word God has already given us.

But apostles aren’t the only type of gospel ministers.

Let’s look at the next name mentioned in our text...

… Silvanus . . .

Silvanus is the Latin version of Silas, who was one of Paul’s ministry companions.

Silas is first mentioned in...

Acts 15:22—Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers.

Perhaps Silas was one of the pastors of that church in Jerusalem. At the very least he was one of their most gifted members.

And the entire church in Jerusalem agreed this man didn’t need to stay in their city. He needed to be sent out to minister to other churches.

Once again there’s a lesson for churches that want to be Gospel-centered today:

The priority of a gospel-centered church isn’t its own growth, but gospel growth.

Surely the Jerusalem Church could’ve benefited from Silas remaining with them. But the church in Jerusalem wanted to serve other churches, so they sent him out that he might bless others.

Perhaps God would do something similar in the lives of some of you. Maybe even through something like our service tonight when seven churches will gather to celebrate a new church being planted in our region.

Perhaps you need to arrive tonight praying, “Here am I, send me!”

As Paul and Silas traveled and did ministry together, they eventually arrived in the town of Thessalonica.

You can read the story in Acts 17.

But let’s try to imagine what it might have been like.

Two traveling preachers named Paul and Silas visit your town and begin preaching the good news about a God-man named Jesus.

They tell you Jesus lived a sinless life and died a sinner’s death, then rose from the dead three days later.

They show you from the Old Testament Scriptures that this was always God’s plan to rescue His people.

As you listen, you’re convinced Paul and Silas are right. So you turn from your sins and trust in Jesus. You get baptized, and join a group of people who believe in Jesus.

You start calling yourselves a church, and you gather every week to hear Paul, Silas, and others teach God’s Word.

But then, after a few weeks, a few members from your church are dragged into the city center and falsely accused.

They’re forced to pay a large fine for disturbing the peace.

Paul and Silas are concerned. If they remain in town, the government will continue to cause problems in the small church.

So they make the painful decision to leave.

Now ask yourself: what are the odds of a church like that surviving, let alone thriving?

This church has only been around for a few months at best, it’s key leaders have been persecuted, and the men who helped plant the church have been run out of town.

Humanly speaking, this church isn’t going to survive.

And yet, they do! Why?!?

Because local churches aren’t built or kept by men. They are built and kept by God!

And in His kindness, God prompts Paul to send another man as a gospel minister to Thessalonica...

… Timothy . . .

Timothy is another important character in the New Testament.

He is first mentioned in...

Acts 16:1—Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.

Paul is on this same missionary journey with Silas, and he meets a young man named Timothy.

This would be the beginning of an incredible relationship that would last until Paul’s death.

Timothy was a frequent companion of Paul, and a recipient of two letters in our Bibles.

Did you notice from Acts 16:1 how Timothy came from a mixed marriage?

His mom was a genuine believer, but his dad was not.

I think this is incredibly encouraging for the Christian parents who are trying to raise kids to obey Jesus by yourself.

If Timothy’s mom was able to train her son and raise him into Christian maturity without the help of a believing husband, than there’s hope for every family.

Don’t lose heart, moms and dads. Just be faithful to do what you’re able to do, and leave the results to God.

Timothy is important to the Thessalonian church because after Paul and Silas were run out of town they sent Timothy back.

1 Thessalonians 2:17–18—But since we [Paul and Silas] 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.

There you see a glimpse of Paul and Silas’ love for this church.

They were torn away from them, and they eagerly wanted to return.

Somehow Satan was hindering them, but Paul and Silas weren’t about to give up.

They found another way to care for the believers in Thessalonica...

1 Thessalonians 3:1–2—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 coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith.

The church in Thessalonica is able to thrive in part because of gospel ministers like Timothy.

Timothy established and exhorted the believers here.

He taught them God’s Word, he encouraged them, he led them, he served them.

Every thriving, gospel-centered church is filled with stories of men like Paul, Silas, and Timothy.

Men like Pastor George Kissinger and Pastor J. B. Flowers who planted and led this church from 1980-1893.

Men like Pastor Donnie Frensley, the first full-time pastor of this church, who faithfully served from 1983-1993 and then again from 1997 to 2002.

Men like Pastor Dave Pouchot who faithfully pastored from 1993 until 1997 before leaving to plant a church in Maine.

Men like Pastor John Pouchot who pastored here from 2003 until 2015.

Although I didn’t get to meet all of those men, I can confidently say this: They were faithful proclaimers of God’s Word. God used them to cultivate a church filled with Bible people.

When I came here in 2016 talking about restructuring this church to more closely follow the Bible, I didn’t have to work hard to convince you. I just had to show you from God’s Word, and you were eager to follow!

And by God’s grace, we have seen an incredible expansion of gospel ministers who are faithfully serving this church.

Men like John Rogers. Some of you don’t know John because you’re newer here, but John is still a member here, although he’s unable to attend because of his wife’s sickness. Although John has since rolled off the elder board, was among the first round of three elders who began serving this church as volunteer pastors in 2019. When I think of John I think of a man with incredible wisdom and a genuine affection for God’s people.

Men like Mike Klaassen, top secret government employee by day, hard-working shepherd of God’s people by night. Pastor Mike is a man who tirelessly works behind-the-scenes to serve God’s people.

Men like Pastor Mike Lindell—no he’s not the pillow guy, but he is gentle and kind. And when he speaks you can guarantee you’re hearing wisdom from God’s Word.

Men like Pastor Bubba Jones who began pastoring in 2021. Bubba is a passionate man who dearly loves God’s people and deeply desires we lead you rightly.

Men like Sterling Tollison and Jason Wells who began pastoring in 2023.

Pastor Sterling is a man who is passionate about helping people follow Jesus. This is a man who genuinely cares about your soul.

And Pastor Jason is our gentle giant, a man who is incredibly loyal to this faith family. A man who would gladly do anything he can to help you look more like Jesus.

It is men like these who help local churches like ours remain centered on the gospel.

None of us are perfect. Paul, Silas, and Timothy weren’t either.

But gospel ministers like these are passionate about helping God’s people remain gospel-centered.

And a key way we do that is by remembering our...

2) Gospel IDENTITY

After listing the senders of this letter, Paul mentions the recipients.

To the church of the Thessalonians . . .

The church of the Thessalonians was located in Thessalonica, a port city on the Aegean Sea in modern-day Greece.

SHOW MAP

In Paul’s day, the city had approximately 200,000 people.

We could spend a lot of time talking about the demographic data in Thessalonica, but I’m not sure how helpful that will be for us.

Instead, I want to make a point about gospel ministry. The most effective gospel ministry is always local.

In our digital age, it is very tempting to think that the most effective ministry is something we can do online that has the potential to reach thousands of people.

But our primary responsibility is not to the thousands of people we could reach out there somewhere, but the people in our own community.

Within a 10 mile radius of this spot...

There are 57,133 people, almost 13,000 of them are children.

When surveyed about how often the attend church, only 21% of the population agrees completely that they regularly attend church.

Now, we understand that going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger.

And yet, genuine followers of Jesus want to be with His people. If the large majority of our neighbors have little desire to be with God’s people, it’s safe to assume that the large majority of our neighbors don’t know God.

This is the context where we must do our gospel ministry.

I firmly believe God has placed this church in this community so we can pursue this community with the Gospel of Jesus!

That might seem incredibly overwhelming, which is why we need to remember another truth about our identity.

We are...

. . . in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ . . .

To be “in God the Father” means we have been adopted into His family.

To be “in the Lord Jesus Christ” means He is our representative.

Imagine a baseball player hitting a game-winning, walk-off home run. Even though he is the one who swung the bat and drove in the runs, the score and the victory is credited to the entire team. Even the fans in the stands celebrate and say “we won!” because one player’s work represents everyone who identifies with that team.

In a similar way, Jesus’ work on the cross is credited to every one of us who believes in Him.

He is the One who bore the wrath of God. But if we identify with Him through repentance and faith, His death is credited to us.

If we truly understand this, it can embolden us to live lives of great risk for the glory of God and the good of His people. No matter our performance, nothing can change the fact that we are in Christ.

Whether you’re a baseball player on the bench who hasn’t played a single inning, a starting player who’s struck out three times and made four errors, if you’re on the team and the team wins, you win.

In the same way, we can celebrate the good God does among us even when our contributions are small because it’s not depending on us. Our victory depends on the work that Jesus has done in our place.

If we want to thrive as a local church, we must remain centered on the gospel.

Which means we must remember the new identity we have because of the gospel.

Finally we should remember our...

3) Gospel BLESSINGS

Typically after introducing the senders and the recipients, the opening words of an ancient letter would give a greeting.

There were two main greetings in the ancient world.

The Jewish people would often greet people with the word “shalom,” which means “peace.”

The traditional greeting among Gentiles was a word closely related to this word “grace.”

In this greeting, which will be repeated in every one of Paul’s letters, we see that the New Covenant people of God are neither Jew nor Gentile. They are both.

But there is more here than just the combination of two common greetings in those days.

In this greeting we see a glimpse of two key blessings given to us in the gospel.

First, the gospel gives us...

. . . Grace to you. . .

GRACE is the ROOT of the gospel. It is unmerited favor. It is receiving a gift you don’t deserve.

It is grace that motivated the Father to send His Son.

It is grace that kept Jesus on the cross.

It is grace that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to help us understand these things so we can be saved.

Ephesians 2:8–9—For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Every good gift we receive is an undeserved gift of grace.

If you’re ever thinking that God’s grace will run out, remember this...

"There is more grace in Christ than sin in us." — Richard Sibbes

Praise God for grace! And because of grace, we can also have another gospel blessing...

. . . and peace.

Grace is the root of the Gospel. But PEACE is the FRUIT of the gospel.

The Good News of Jesus is ROOTED in God’s grace. But a key evidence that you have truly received that grace is when your life is marked by PEACE.

The peace Paul is talking about here is not the absence of all conflict.

Obviously Christians still experience conflict, which is why Paul was run out of Thessalonica!

The peace Paul is talking about here is peace with God.

Remember that apart from Christ, all of us are by nature enemies of God.

Romans 2:5—...because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

This is what we deserve. Eternal separation from God. Unmitigated wrath for the cosmic treason of our sin.

But because Jesus died in our place, we can be at peace with God.

And when we experience this peace with God, we can pursue peace with others.

Charles Spurgeon put it like this: “He who grows in grace remembers that he is but dust, and he therefore does not expect his fellow Christians to be anything more; he overlooks ten thousand of their faults, because he knows his God overlooks twenty thousand in his own case.”

Where are you lacking peace in your life, Christian? Are you doing all you can to live at peace with those around you? How will remembering the gospel help you to be at peace with the people around you?

I hope you’ve learned something from these introductory words from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians.

There will be much more for us to learn in the months ahead.

Here’s my heart for this church as one of your pastors: I want us to thrive.

I’m not interested in merely maintaining the status quo. I want us to grow to look more and more like Jesus. I want us to be more faithful disciple-makers. To be more effective in reaching our community. To be more faithful in fighting our sin.

And all of that begins with us remaining centered on the gospel.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

O Church Arise

Benediction (Jude 24-25)

Bubba: Give another reminder about help needed with chair setup before you give the benediction