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The Believer’s Credentials
The Believer’s Credentials
What does God look for in disciples?
ILLUST: Applying for a job, explain how you meet the job description (develop this…)
God is “hiring”
Meaning - He is seeking out disciples willing to work hard for little reward in this world, but the greatest retirement plan ever!
Credentials seen through the way Paul connects with this church in Thess.
READ Acts 17: 1-3 and 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20
Being a qualified disciple… (qualities of…)
1) Quick to Believe
1) Quick to Believe
Quick - this is God’s Word, God speaking, best not to question that
REM: context in Thess., they are extremely vulnerable and stand out
They will NOT worship the emperor, and have chosen Jesus
Quick = this world is passing quickly
The Thessalonians heard and believed - quickly made an impact on them
And they made an impact on others
They trusted the WORD
Not the word of man, the Word of God
No doubt Paul showed them how the Old Testament pointed to Jesus/Messiah
Genesis 1, 3 - creation, sin
The Law - can’t keep it perfectly, need a Savior
Isaiah 53 - Jesus was/is that Messiah!
How quickly should we accept God’s Word?
Why is it so important? (not rhetorical)
The Word is the power source
The Word performs its work”
Distinguishes you from the world
This power operates continually in the life of the believer
“What does God’s Word say about…?” (any topic)
My bias - I own it..
I do not get why the Word is not important to people who claim to be believers?
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
If every decision in life is not filtered through the Word - something is off
CHALLENGE - What does God’s Word say about….?
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Trust me, but don’t take my word for it
Trust God, His Word
? (Bulletin challenge to read and learn, together)
2) Perseverance
2) Perseverance
When the world is opposed
ASIDE - (Psalms are full of the bitterness of some suffering, outweighed by the knowledge that the wicked will be dealt with by God, and His faithfulness to the faithful)
The Thessalonians were imitating the church in Judea (Jerusalem)
This was not about doing everything that church did
This WAS about understanding that the church in Jerusalem was persecuted
The challenges were real
In Jerusalem - they were thriving in the midst of challenge
In Thessalonica - there was opposition from Jews and Gentiles
And the enemy worked hard to keep Gentiles from believing, leading to even more wickedness
What hinders us from a Gospel-focused life?
We are distracted by simple and meaningless things...)
Is it hard to find time for God’s Word and prayer? (your best time?)
We’ll set alarms and practice and prepare for and work hard at something in life we love, that brings us joy
For most, that something is not the surrendered life
It just isn’t
I can’t change that, but the Holy Spirit can
The world seems to be winning, but...
The church will prevail, Jesus promised that
TRUTH - We really do not face opposition here, when it comes to the Gospel
(Saddle club, we are allowed to talk Jesus!)
And who can we imitate? Look no further than every church Paul wrote to…
3) Desire to be Connected
3) Desire to be Connected
With other believers!
It meant a lot to Paul to be with them
It meant a lot to them to be together
And the enemy actually hindered that from happening
What hindered them?
Oppression from the outside
Fear of loss of life
What hinders you from being together with believers, especially here?
Oppression? What oppression?
Fears? Of what? Loss of life?
Our hindrances
Our own thoughts and desires - we take this for granted
If I’m not there for that, someone else will be
Why do you let so many things compete with involvement with believers here?
Paul missed them when they could not be together
He missed their service and fellowship, wanted to be there more
An aim for a servant of the church
Be missed when you are not here (and for faithful servants, that is a rare occasion)
Anyone can come warm a pew
The LORD desires servants to come, believe, serve, endure, and connect
Connect, because there is comfort in companionship!
So, if you desire to be of service,
if you are looking to serve the Lord….
Saved - gotta start there. Then let the LORD transform you…
1 - Be quick to accept and believe His Word
2 - Persevere - stick with it, this is a great characteristic
3 - Desire to connect with believers here - be here, be part of the body
Something we are missing or not doing super-well? Come serve with us!
NOTE - these characteristics are not of the “natural” person
They result from a willingness to surrender to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading
ASIDE - a great method to dump sin habits? Follow the Holy Spirit instead of yourself.
Try it…
Now…
CLOSE - prelude to more to come
A Hint of Yet To Come - spoiler alert for chapter 4
Look back to 1:3,10, and here in 2:19
For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
1:10 - the wrath of God to come - believers rescued from that wrath
and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
Never to have to endure that wrath - as believers
Incentive to get saved?
Coming = parousia - an arrival, a gathering, a coming
1 Thess 2:19 - at His coming, when He comes - it’s a done deal that He is coming!
Paul is expecting that church to be prepared to meet Christ
Paul is preparing them to be prepared to meet Christ
And Paul is his own disciple, included in the challenge
I desire for each of you to be prepared to meet Christ
I am striving to prepare you to be prepared to meet Christ
And I’m in that same discipleship process
Paul was given a tremendous responsibility to be a good steward of the Gospel
I pray that my stewardship is up to par…
And I pray that each of you desires to be a good steward as well
My job is to watch over your souls - Hebrews 13:17
It is thrilling when I get to see disciples connect the Word to life!
If anyone here is excited about God’s Word and responds with a surrendered life to Him
I am overjoyed!
Bible scholars that you are - put this together
Paul was taught by Christ - met the disciples, Peter, James, John
He heard the Gospels before they were written - get that
He knows the parables Jesus told - about serving faithfully until the master returns
He trusts that the judgment, the wrath of God is certain
And he trusts that the rescue of the church is just as equally certain - HOPE
He writes this letter of Hope to a church who needs it
So do we!
Why is all this teaching so important?
See Ephesians 4:11-12
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
Equipped to serve Him as the response to all He has done - yada, yada, yada, I know
V. 19 points to a time of judgment for believers
Saved, yes, and then gathered, and judged and rewarded
It fits with what Paul has taught to this point
The Gospel includes the saved life, not just being saved
The hard work will be worth it!
Verse 20 - you ARE…
Paul is overwhelmed with joy at how this church has received the Word of truth he and Silvanus and Timothy have brought
Because it is God’s Word they have received and responded to!
Thus, the now and then aspect of salvation
Faithfulness and service starts now - not when we see Christ at His coming
It starts now!
And it never ends…
