Gratitude for This Church
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Gratitude for This Church
Gratitude for This Church
I’m praying for This Church — I’m praying that God would make us a church like the church in Thessalonica.
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy: To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace. 2 We always thank God for all of you, remembering you constantly in our prayers. 3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 knowing your election, brothers loved by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we were among you for your benefit, 6 and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. 7 As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For the Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead —Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
We could say that Paul celebrates this church. He couldn’t say that about all the churches, but he does this church. Some of the churches needed rebuke, some encouragement to grow. But this church — This Church was much the model church. This was how a church is to be. And Paul celebrates This Church. Look at it in verse 2.
2 We always thank God for all of you, remembering you constantly in our prayers.
He expresses thanksgiving to God for This Church.
And notice — Who does Paul Thank?
He thanks God, right? I thank God for all you. He thanks God not them!
Why is this important?
It’s for the same reason I told you what I am praying for This Church to be like the church in Thessalonica — because we need the marvelous sovereign grace of God to work in This Church to be like This Church in Thessalonica.
What
So let’s begin and we’re going to break this up in two sections:
First — the Priorities of the Pastor
and then Second — the Priorities of the Church.
The Priorities of the Pastor and the Priorities of the Church.
If This Church is to be like This Church, then we need the Priorities of the Pastor and the Priorities of the Church to blend in perfect accord with the Word of God. It’s not important how we think things should be but how God says they should be. The Priorities of the Pastor must be what the Word of God says they should be and the Priorities of the Church should be what the Word of God says they should be. And they must be in perfect accord together each doing their own but both in accord with the Word of God. You can’t have one doing something according to some marketing group or something like that, but always — Always in Accord to the Word of God.
So, let’s look at both of these beginning with the Priorities of the Pastor. And I’m praying the Lord move mightily to His glory in us.
I. The Priorities of the Pastor
I. The Priorities of the Pastor
I must tell you. This has been the most convicting week for me personally. When I preach to you about the Priorities of the Pastor — I want you to understand that this is primarily for me. I’m preaching to myself this morning — have been all week. Although this is primarily for me — there is something of great benefit to you — and that is you really know how you’re to pray for me.
I need you to pray for me in this.
If we’re going to be This Church, then as your pastor I need to have these priorities.
The Pastor has a priority to Pray
The Pastor has a priority to Pray
4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the preaching ministry.”
First comes prayer. This puts the Pastor in the role of a priest who takes the People to God. He lifts the people to the presence of God. He bears with them with all their needs to the throne of Grace.
Look at verse 2
2 We always thank God for all of you, remembering you constantly in our prayers.
Paul was always praying for them. This was the Pauline Pattern to Pray.
9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit in telling the good news about His Son, is my witness that I constantly mention you,
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world.
9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit in telling the good news about His Son, is my witness that I constantly mention you, 10 always asking in my prayers that if it is somehow in God’s will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
1 So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Colossians
He prayed for them. And it’s not just Paul but he says “We.” This means that the elders were praying. A team of men committed to pray for the people — regularly, personally, and individually — an intimately concern about the spiritual well-being of the people.
What did he pray?
Not so much for the physical, but the spiritual needs. He prayed for their spiritual strength and spiritual mastery. In other words, that they would match their lives with their calling.
He prayed their practice would be like their position in Christ.
So, what do you pray whey you want someone to be strengthened spiritually and spiritually mastered?
Spiritually strength and spiritually mastery. What does that mean? It means to be controlled by the Spirit of God, to have victory and not be defeated, to has mastery over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Look at what he prays.
First, he prayed that their faith would be complete.
10 as we pray very earnestly night and day to see you face to face and to complete what is lacking in your faith?
And as he stated in the verse before — this church brought much joy.
1 Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God—as you are doing —do so even more.
The second thing he prayed for was in verse 12 that their love would increase for one another.
12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone, just as we also do for you.
The third thing he prayed is in verse 13 — He prayed that their hearts would be blameless in holiness before God.
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.
Finally, he prayed in 5:23 that they would be consistent.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sanctify you completely — This is that God “make you wholly holy.” And he continues — “may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Every aspect of who they are — spirit, soul, and body.
So, that’s a priority of a pastor — to first and foremost pray for the church.
The Pastor has a Priority to Preach
The Pastor has a Priority to Preach
5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we were among you for your benefit,
A church that is going to be like This Church is to have the Word of God preached to them, to teach them to encourage them, to rebuke them, to establish them, to settle them, to perfect them. But this is not a lecture, or a speech, or just a sermon. It’s not academic, dry, or dead. It came — “In power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance.” It came with dynamite, you might say.
Let me illustrate what I mean. Look at 1:9.
9 for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
The message Paul preached was one that turned them from idols to serve the living and true God. If anything the word of God does, it should never bore someone. Pray that your pastor preaches not with a false or worked up excitement. Anyone can get excited. Pray that I preach with power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. Assurance that this is God’s Word. This is the power from God, not me.
Here’s what I want you to hear every Sunday. This is God’s Word, now hear it. Obey it. Walk in it. Live it. Turn to Him. Trust Him. Never let it be that I ever deviate from the Word of God and that I ever preach without the power of the Holy Spirit — that God’s word doesn’t come to you with full assurance.
The final Priority of the Pastor is to be a Pattern
The final Priority of the Pastor is to be a Pattern
Look at verse 5 again.
5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we were among you for your benefit,
The phrase — what kind of men we were among you. And then watch verse 6.
6 and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit.
So, “you know what kind of men we were among you for your benefit, and you became imitators.”
Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit once said this:
“I hold that a strongly marked personality can influence descendants for generations.”
This has some similarities to what Paul was saying. Paul presented himself a pattern. And he says, You became imitators. It is good to have a good pattern to live by. I can look back at the people, men especially, who influenced me, that stirred me up to be a pattern. We should pattern ourselves after what is good and right. Dads should pattern themselves after good Dads, Moms after good Moms, Children after good parents, Workers after good workers, Bosses after good bosses.
But you say — We should imitate Christ, not men. This is actually what Paul calls them to do.
1 Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.
The Pastor not only has the priority to pray and to preach, but to be a pattern to walk in.
And Listen. That pattern cannot be in conflict to what is preached. This is why this has been so convicting. If there is a holy word from God, there ought to be a holy life behind it. Holy living enables holy preaching.
Richard Baxter, 16th century Puritan Preacher.
“He that means as he speaks will surely do as he speaks.”
In other words, if your really mean what you preach, then you will live what you preach.
This is stunning.
John MacArthur said this:
“The most effective praying and the most effective proclaiming comes from those who live their passions out. They are the message in human flesh.”
Now this doesn’t mean we’re perfect or that we don’t have a ways to go. But we should be progressing.
So — there they are. The Priorities of the Pastor: Praying, Preaching, and Being a Pattern. Now you know how and what to pray for me.
Well, that is a full sermon in itself. But I do have a little left for you.
II. The Priorities of the Church
II. The Priorities of the Church
We find these priorities in verse 3.
3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,
True Saving Faith
True Saving Faith
Notice this phrase — “Your work of faith.”
What does this mean?
Because at first glance it looks like this is contradictory to grace, doesn’t it?
This is what is called an objective genitive in the Greek. And it could be read this way: “Your faith which produces a work.”
True saving faith is a faith that produces a work. In other words, this is fruitful believing.
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.
God created us in Christ — this speaks of the new birth, for the purpose of Good Works and God prepared this ahead of time — ahead of our new birth that we should walk in them, them being the Good Works.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him?
James 2:
People have misunderstood this text. It’s the same thing Paul is saying. There is no such thing of a faith that doesn’t result in good works or that is non-productive. It’s not enough to say “I believe.” It must result in obedience. Paul is saying, “I praise God for your faith that produces a work.”
It’s a faith that produces a work — and a labor of love, and and endurance of hope.
3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden,
To put it succinctly — True saving Faith is a faith that produces righteousness. It’s living — not dead. We can go right back to verse 9.
9 for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
1 Thessalonians
Then verse 4 talks about the Sovereign work of God —
Knowing your election, brothers loved by God.
This is a marvelous thing. The product of your life indicates you are elect of God.
This is further proven in verse 5 and 6. You remember the preaching in the power, and the Holy Spirit? Well, it resulted in them imitating them and the Lord — In Spite of Severe Persecution.
So, the demonstrated they were Truly Saved.
Service
Service
3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,
5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we were among you for your benefit,
1 Thessalonians
They had a Labor of Love.
This is the same objective genitive — Your love which produces wearisome toil. In other words, they had a love that did not grow weary of laboring in a love of God in doing good. They were doing to the point of exhaustion. This is a church that understands who they are and are tirelessly doing.
And look at verse 7 — “As a result, you became an example to all the believers.” They imitated and then people began to imitate them. You see how it works in the Church of Christ? Paul says, the leaders imitate the Lord, the people follow the leaders and then the other churches follow the lead of that church that imitates the leaders who are imitating the Lord.
And it didn’t end there.
8 For the Lord’s message rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything,
The message the Pastor preached “rang out.” The Greek verb there means “to echo.” This is so important! The word they heard preached, taught, and saw lived — They echoed it! That’s marvelous, isn’t it?
The final Priority of the Church is Enduring Steadfastness
The final Priority of the Church is Enduring Steadfastness
Back to verse 3.
3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Endurance of hope — this means to get under the load and stay under it. It’s the spiritual staying power. They hung in there. They were a sustaining flame, not just a little spark. It’s the same objective genitive and means the hope that produces endurance.
What’s the hope?
It’s the waiting for Jesus. It’s not someone hung up on prophecy or end time events. It’s not waiting for the 2nd coming even or looking for the signs — but really waiting for Jesus. Much like waiting for a wife waiting for her husband to return from a long trip. She anticipates holding him and his embrace. She waits for him, not so much the event and the time of his return.
So, that hope that waiting for Jesus produces an endurance to go through whatever it may be. So, they didn’t give up. They didn’t bail out. They remained steadfast and confidently remaining under the load waiting for Jesus. Jesus is their motive.
So, this is the message of 1 Thessalonians — Paul writes a letter to This Church, a church that had true faith, labored in love, and an endurance of hope. They imitated their pastor, who prayed for them, preached the word, and lived the message.
This is my prayer for This Church, Big Island Baptist Church. I’m so thankful for This Church — YOU! It’s my prayer that you pray for me to pray, preach, and being a pattern for you. That you would demonstrate true faith, a labor of love, and the endurance of hope.
May the Lord cause you to increase and overflow with love for one another and for everyone. May He make your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father. May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely.
May God make This Church like This Church.
Let’s Pray.