Good Fruit is Noticed
Notes
Transcript
Intro: We notice good things.
Lawns
Food
Views
People - He is a good guy or a great lady
What do we mean by that?
Generally nice
Moral
We get along with them
Today we will be seeing that the members of the Church at Thessalonica were noticed by Paul but it wasn’t for being good folks it was for something much more important, their walk with the Lord.
3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
1. Your life brings God glory. (vs. 3)
Have to say something
This is how Paul felt.
Ought - under an obligation - to thank God for them.
Growing Faith - Large and ever more increasing
Giant Pumpkin
So how does this work? Philip Ryken says in his book,
The Message of Salvation: By God’s Grace, for God’s Glory Sanctification by Faith
In our struggle to grow in godliness we try one method after another. We read books. We start ambitious programmes for personal devotions. We fast and pray, vowing never to commit the same old sins again. Yet nothing seems to work, and we end up feeling spiritually defeated. Often, the problem is not what we are doing so much as where we are starting. Sanctification based on human effort is bound to fail. Real progress in holiness starts with knowing that we are united to Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. The way we conquer sin is first by believing in what God did for us when he joined us to Christ in our conversion. Here is another way to say it: we are sanctified by faith.
This is where it starts, in Jesus and not ourselves. Then as we walk the Christian walk we continue to look at Jesus and not ourselves, this is what it means to be sanctified by faith.
GOSPEL
When we see our salvation clearly we desire to live a life for Jesus, the object of our faith, instead of living a life of just doing the right things that Christians do. One is faith in self, the other is faith in Christ.
This is something that is noticed.
When we go through life and it gives us a curveball, do we turn to self, money, habits, sin?
Do we look to Jesus?
They turned to Jesus and Paul praised God for it. This wasn’t the only thing Paul thanks God for.
Increasing Love for one another - More and more
Kids just keep growing, sometime you don’t really notice, then you have that day where you look and are in shock, why? They were growing the whole time.
This is what Paul is talking about when it comes to their love growing and it has a point.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Paul is thanking God that their lives are not just internal but external too. They are committed to one another through action.
Do you Love like Jesus?
When Paul sees these traits it causes him to go to his knees and thank God that they are working out what He is working into them.
Is this what your life looks like?
When people see your faith in difficult situations or your love for one another do they thank God for you?
Does your faith and love bring God glory?
2. Your life brings encouragement to others. (vs. 4)
Therefore...
We boast about you to the Churches
endurance under persecution and afflictions
This isn’t look at what they are doing, how great of Christians they are, it is look at what God is giving them in the midst of difficult circumstances.
When we hear about how God is working in others lives we are encouraged too.
Testimony
Do you wait for Jesus?
When we see these three things put together in this text what we see is,
Your growth in the Lord brings God glory and encouragement to others.
When we see this truth it challenges us to say, I want my life to look like that. So what do we do?
Look to Jesus, Love like Jesus, and Wait for Jesus.