Gospel Saturation

Introduction:

What does it mean to be saturated?

Illustration: Baptism

Gospel Saturated Greeting

Authors: Paul, Silas and Timothy

Team ministry

99% of effective, God glorifying ministry happens in teams.

Audience: The Church of God at Thessalonica

The church is God’s program for this age.

The vast majority of effective, God glorifying ministry happens in the church or in support of the church.

Missions agencies exist to support church missions programs.

Camps exist to support church youth programs.

The vast majority of your spiritual growth happens through local church ministry.

Address: The Gospel in Miniature

Grace

The unmerited favor of God on the unworthy

Grace is what saves us. Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”

Grace is the very heart of the gospel. Acts 20:24 “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

Jesus is the embodiment of grace. John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Grace is by is nature a gift. Ephesians 4:7 “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” Because it is unmerited it can never be a:

Wage

Loan

Purchase

Grace once gifted can never be rescinded.

Grace gives us eternal hope. 2 Thessalonians 2:16 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,”

Grace is not free. It always costs the giver something. 2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

Grace justifies us before God. Romans 3:24 “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

Grace enables our access to God. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Grace motivates our righteousness. Titus 2:11–14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Grace gives us strength. 2 Timothy 2:1 “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,”

Grace is greater than our sin. Romans 5:20 “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,”

Grace is more wonderful than words can express. 2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”

Peace

The absence of hostility with God and the presence of justice by God.

We were His enemies. Romans 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

Now we are His children. 1 John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

This peace we have with God was justly purchased by His grace through the shed blood of Jesus thus satisfying the holiness of God.

Source - God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

Gospel Saturated Gratitude (v. 3)

Orientation - Who he was thankful to.

Godward

All gratitude should primarily be expressed to God.

If God is truly sovereign, as we believe Him to be, then who is the author of all good things?

Object - What he was thankful for.

Thessalonians

Your life will be measurably better if you change the object of your gratitude from things to people.

Occasion

Faith

Growing Abundantly

Overflowing - i.e. it is being shared.

Love

Dramatically increasing

While I can’t necessarily prove it, I believe that there is a correlation between the growth of faith and love for others.

Your life will be measurably better when you change the orientation of your gratitude to God, the object of your gratitude to others and the occasion of your gratitude their spiritual growth.

Gospel Saturated Gratification

Object

Thessalonians

Are we allowed to boast?

Galatians 6:14 “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

There is undoubtedly a correlation between what we are thankful for and what we boast in.

Orientation

Other churches - encouraging each other by sharing what God is doing.

God - remember whose church it is.

Occasion

Steadfast - patient and persevering

Faith - they were trusting God even when they had no human reason to.