1 Thessalonians 1:1-3 (Part B)

Well, he says, patients with patients of hope, waiting for the son of heaven see the Thessalonians were excited at the idea that Jesus is coming back. They missed his first coming physically.

They were there in Jerusalem to see him or the Galilean region, they missed it in the thought of seeing him just because also of excitement sometimes will be too much. That's what he's going to do it.

That second lettering strengths stabilize him stabilizes them there. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston.

Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of first Thessalonians. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today on cross reference radio.

Pastor Rick will continue teaching. First Thessalonians chapter 1. Who is your Lord yourself.

You Lord of your life sing that song on the Lord of my life and how silly would sound verse two he continues. We give thanks to you. Oh, partly we give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers again, knowing the difficulty that they were going through, but also understanding how difficult it is to win a convert to be used by God to win a convert, difficult, and then then how difficult it is to disciple them. You know I maybe you've been used by God on a long distance relationship in some way to lead someone to Christ and you know then you check in on him and you call and say how you doing I'm doing fine will what you doing with the Lord while going to discharge what man but I like you know I feel the move is. Thank good night about truth about truth. Nevermind this emotional razzle-dazzle in the skies falling which would be frightening but that's what you get. That's discipleship United lead you to the truth. Legal follow these lovely tunes around just because they use Jesus name doesn't mean they use his word and doing the two together.

We have a great big problem in his heart torrential, for they like it over there.

Mr. need a deeper voice but anyway so when he says we give thanks to God always for you all, he say I understand how difficult this is and understand how quickly you can drift right into dangerous water serpent infesting infested waters is making mention of you in our prayers's burden with the needs of the people. How can you not if you're Christian, how can you not be burdened with the needs of the people is what a relief. Ministry is is a burden. I can't just sit here.

Of course it's not every needs not calling that would that would bump out the Holy Spirit were under the authority of God. But we are all start to pray there's a calling there. There's always a calling to pray. There's always a calling to do God leads us to do and he always leads us to do that which is right.

If we let him and so how could he forget them, he could not is going to say that as we move now to verse three says, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and father all over this introduction, which is up to the third chapter and how many times he brought up Jesus Christ and God the father and I love that he has done that he does this. This is out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart. We communicate, he says, remembering without ceasing.

There was no interruption was always mindful of them in the long been gone from there.

But he still was always mindful of the and not only this was mindful of those in Philippi and Galatia wherever he preached the gospel. He was mindful of them all, but introduces here a famous word to us who believe faith, hope and love. He writes that from Corinth later but book the Thessalonian letter comes first.

He wrote the Thessalonian letter before he wrote the letters to the Corinthians another. Another theme that Paul was big on was the just living by faith he picked up that from Habakkuk chapter 2 verse four behold, the proud, wrote the prophet. The problem of those who follow themselves puffed up with them and he says his soul is not our right and him you think is the other way is proud he must've accomplished something like I strips rally little rooster he must. He must be a big dog.

Rooster liberals to be dog anyway. To be smart to to catch that. Anyway, back to the Scripture from the prophet Habakkuk. Behold, the proud his soul is not right is not right and him not right with God.

Then he says what the just shall live by faith just don't need this placard over their head, look at me, look what I've accomplished in on this and I am that the just simply serve the Lord and we find Paul mentioned the just living by faith in the Roman letter in the Galatian and in the Hebrew letter, but now we find him talking about another theme that is just as powerful as I said, faith, hope and love. And he has quite a bit to say about it in the fifth chapter of this first letter Paul will say let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation. I will, of course, open that up when we get to the fifth chapter towards the end of the year, but there it is, and then later he will write from in the chapter on loving God talk about love in a minute all know love is a nice thing to talk about is just a very thing very difficult thing to execute agape love and not by Leo Fyler love you do.

Would you like me needs. Feels good right by Leo Eros you know comes naturally romantic type of love all of them can be twisted, stroll, gain the love for the family, but that the the agape love the spiritual love was community catered to us in unmatched brilliance in the life of Christ is what we're called to do and that is the most difficult and why is it most difficult because it's the love we are supposed to show to those who want very loving. Also people you just don't like and there a lot of them on earth.

I probably got more than you because that's how I am. But chapter 13 when Paul is talking and it just means my words were cut off or ma'am, how to work and I'm glad you laughing and if you're visiting here, I like to listen. Laughter is a medicine mindful that is also dangerous from the pulpit.

Sometimes I think it might get away by hope not but but I don't mind when the congregation can laugh because some of us needed to get tough things going on. We leave here. There's not many things that are funny come to the house of God you can be can be increasingly serious and at the same time, there can be some levity and so laughter does the heart good, like medicine, but in the 13th chapter of Corinthians.

He says, and now abide faith, hope, love the street but the greatest of these is love always. She had said hold. That's an easy one can always hope. Hope I get the love about that but it but he says the love that's it. When you get that one you got all the rest you will spend your entire Christian life trying to perfect this or you would just spend your Christian life wasted. We are supposed to advertise God's love yes to the word and through deeds. What we what we ourselves would work is over. Love is always work the agape love always is a labor even when it comes easy, might not come back so quickly that makes it work yet again. We cannot we cannot serve without faith Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God and the faith in the Christian faith again block out the world's definition never let them near your dictionary. Your words are given to you from God the Word of God and our definition of faith is trusting God because of the revelation of God. Not just because he like a good idea to do at the time we have a reason for the hope that is in us and inspires hope.

Looking for God to work but hope hoping in God is not a demand, you know, we can knock on heavens door when never allowed to kick it down were never allowed to try to come in through the window. The thief does that we knock on the door as Jesus taught us in the garden of Gethsemane father.

If possible, take this cup himself as equal with the father and cultural leaders write nothing on you can sneeze and bow you all away, but he did not do that so hope hope is just that it leaves opening for whatever God's God wants to do there would be no martyrs.

No one would suffer and die for the faith God just did that whatever we back it back to him to do so love Jesus love the word of God love each other and love the lost is the lost like them when someone sees me saving them now. I'm talking about the loss that all of some of the more pleasant than than others. Granted, but we are on patrol. We are ready for whatever pops up as Christians that's that's the goal you know you patrol around a lot of snakes. It my house this year, shot quite a few of them sometime ago patrolling and I take extra ammo them. I have a neighbor who's a snake lover.

No kidding dance partner anyway but I'm ready when I go patrolling for one of them does stick up their venomous hand Dragon separated put on the right side love trolls to not looking to live someone's head off looks to win them the Christ. So is mindful that Christ may bring someone their way and so we love the Lord Jesus, that these admit many Christians as I love the Lord Jesus and the beauty that not using but many times as all the God brought about his word.

Well we have to love what he says. That's what makes him Master and Lord, loving each other. Okay there people that I don't go to church. A surgeon is that I am a Christian, though. Maybe you don't love each other and then the burden for the lost. If you're not burden for lost souls, you're either I don't want to just limited to that, but you probably more burden with yourself.

That's why when your eyes just on your problems in your sorrows is all you can think about why should you be thinking about anybody else and so be careful. Maybe your guard against these things and use of witnesses you know Pastor, that's nice on a sunny day. I know Jesus calls to be the way every day for all of us. So the work of faith consisted for these Thessalonians is will get to later. Interning from idols to the living God. As we said last week it was more than just the Reformation was a realization is realization that man cannot make God God made man, sin has entered in, and man is not what God made him to be God did not just abandon him in only when Adam and Eve sinned the Lord and say what is done with let it sink.

They went right into the because it was foreordained from the foundations of the earth. They went right into the next phase that was already waiting lost sinners block them from the tree of life until another tree comes, the tree of the cross in heaven which will get to the end of the 22nd chapter of Revelation there is a tree of life in heaven, not just one of the mind and is we all can partake of its fruit in its season's in every season. There's a fruit well. He says patients the patience of hope, waiting for the son of heaven see the Thessalonians were excited at the idea that Jesus is coming back. They missed his first coming physically. They were there in Jerusalem to see him or the Galilean region, they missed it in the thought of seeing him just cause all sorts of excitement sometimes will be too much, and that's what he's going to do it that the second lettering strengths come to stabilize them stabilizes them there. God has so designed his word that every Christian is to be excited with the thought of the sudden return of Jesus Christ. There is not one prophetic item that must be fulfilled for him to come for his church. He can come at any time, and when he says in Revelation 22 behold, I come quickly. The Greek really is. Suddenly, not according to time but when you just boom. Is there that moment is is nothing that will stop it.

So throughout this letter. These great facts have to be recognized because without recognition that cannot be illustrated and applied, and without that they can't cannot be fruit and so the work of faith, how we come to Christ by grace you have been saved through faith that opens the door.

Christ did it, but to receive it.

We have to trust him. We enter into this relationship. Labor of love is the activity of that belief. Okay, then what happened you got saved, then what happened.

Have you ever heard people say about some of the people you got religion alike to better before he got religion because often times income legalistic self righteous judge mental nobody that's a labor of love.

Love of themselves, maybe patience of hope and strength of understanding that God can do the unexpected God can, he's right here is never a part from us so every part of work is love.

Love is an exotic is not indigenous to our nature and on indigenous tree and oak tree is indigenous to various oaks or white oak is indigenous to Virginia.

They grow here but a palm tree is not you have to bring it here and if you brought it here. You have to take care of it to have it survive because the surrounding elements are not friendly with what that's what agape love is a sin exotic. It has to be brought into the human experience. And once it's brought it. It has to be nurtured and protected treated like an exotic if you just let it grow is going to die, you have to fertilize it and give it care and we do that through our devotion time.

Our prayer service in activity you know of you ever been on the schedule to serve in the church and and you got a mood on a don't feel like serving that day, but you must that's giving it care duties as part of victory. Those who have no sense of duty really cannot be counted on, cannot be trusted to fulfill the demands that life's going to throw away as Christians. If you don't believe that God is an exotic read. The 13th chapter of Corinthian to tell me if you do it in the love never fails that when all challenges us, Christ delights in our love of his love, and he delights in our perseverance to demonstrated and so I want to read a verse from first John John's first letter because is it not hard to love fools anybody. I just love fools had had the stay away from yet. How does the fool have any chance of being anything other than a fool if someone does not bring to him the wisdom of Christ. Okay, I grieve that will bring it higher like you either those kind of funny the moment it was in my head once.

I didn't feel pretty stupid verse John chapter 5 verse three for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome. Oh yeah, they are so my flesh, my sinful nature is a drag. Lord says you know what, if you look at a woman for lust.

You've already committed the sin, is not fair. Oh, it is very fair because it's what's inside of you that causes you to be dirty and it is not dealt with in Christ.

If the blood of Jesus Christ does not intercept the consequences of that then you're a lost sinner beyond hope. And so when John says his commandments are not burdensome then not burdensome to the spirit.

To me, who was born again. Everything I hear my God, what I that's right. Amen. Don't covet, don't fornicate don't live don't steal. Don't kill don't have fake out you know. False gods don't don't trample upon the things of God. I agree with all of this and he says, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you patient with God's methods are you patient with his timing. He says I'm going to come back when he hasn't come back yet, but you still good with the promise still fine with you. First Corinthians chapter 13 verse 13 and now abide faith, hope, love, these three but the greatest of these is love. And so with these stories a week. We see parallels in God's creation. I believe that there are parallels to God's word in God's creation because he is the author of both. For example time there's time past, present and future. We except that in space we except that there is a height width and depth. We understand that with matter. We understand that there's a solid, liquid and gas okay were all good with that. But as Christians we have to equally say there is faith there is hope, there is love and I must have those three just like the universe must have things that I just mentioned.

They go together. And so Paul takes this idea, faith, hope and love.

And he says this is not abstract's is concrete.

This is real.

This is not some ill poem that just you reciting you feel good.

And that's the end of it. The beginning of it. Once you come into the knowledge of this in verse nine is going to speak of their work of faith, how they turned to God is also going to speak of their labor of love to serve the Lord.

He says that's love you serve Jesus Christ, out of love. That said, anything less than that is wrong now within that love thereof. There is responsibility and duty enjoying all the other things.

But love is what causes us to serve and if you're in ministry you have to get this checked often because they're going to be things to strip this away from you this like a good spend your burning up music like fuel and a car. Patience of hope in verse 10. Roofs will find them waiting on the Lord, so faith is a work of the will is who I am. My soul.

I do not believe we become Christians and we lose our free will in any sense. You can stay.

You can go you have. We are this is what some we are in God's image. We have a will and animals are and they work almost solely off of instinct human being has a will is instinct to James chapter 2 someone will say you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works got a come to life. Something's got to breathe life into action and that is the Holy Spirit. John's gospel chapter 6 then they said to him, what shall we do that we may work the works of God.

Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he said in that sense, that is the only sense, faith is a work. It is an action of me. It's a response to God by grace.

I am saved, God makes the invitation through faith that me doesn't mean anything means nothing without saying yes Lord, I accepted Luke's gospel chapter 5 and he said to Simon launch out into the deep let down your nets for a catch, but Simon answered and said to him master. We have toiled all night and caught Paducah's nevertheless that's nothing. Nevertheless at your word.

I will let down the net. See, that's the Lordship of Christ are messy and I'll see you the boss, you more than the boss. You are the master and I'll do what you say.

That is faith in action and he says finally, in verse three in the sight of our God and father. Everything believers do this with this knowledge, the nearness of God.

Everything we do is born again Christian is with this knowledge, the nearness of God. God is here, we speak about the coming of Christ, we speak about him coming interview not arriving he's always here. The universe is his, there's no place in the universe that he shut out from is not pantheism. God is not the wood of the pulpit. Here he is here and there's no way to escape him.

The believer loves this the unbeliever does not want to close with this verse will start off next week because knowing in verse forces knowing, beloved brethren, your election will probably need to spend little time on on election is like a public connection casting ballots. But there is a choice involved a close with this verse. First Corinthians chapter 8 verse six. For us there is one God father whom are all things and we for him and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we live. The nearness of God inescapable for the true believer move. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of first Thessalonians cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry.

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