Latest / HBCWestminster / 1Thess 2:13-20 What it really is

Transcript

1Thess 2:13-20 What it really is · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  All right, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. We're going to be in verses 13 to 20. We're finishing out chapter 2, and we've been in this series. This is the third week now, and the book of 1 Thessalonians, as you guys may have already heard, is all about real people with real problems who need a real gospel. It is a book for us. We are real people. We are complex, and our lives are
• 0:31
  complex and can oftentimes be really gray rather than black or white. And if we're honest, we all got some real problems. Can I get a witness? We have real problems. And so because of those real problems, we really do need a real gospel, a powerful gospel that is sufficient to govern all of those things and to transform those things. And that's what 1 Thessalonians is about. The book
• 0:58
  is a great book for us to study as Highland because the culture of Thessalonica, with all of its religious pluralism, was very similar to modern American 21st century culture. Which means that as we study this book for the next couple months, we can be on the lookout for encouragements and exhortations and even rebukes in the book of 1 Thessalonians because
• 1:26
  What is said in here will very easily translate to our lives because we are so like the Thessalonians. Week one, a couple of weeks ago, we talked about the gospel at work in the lives of these people. We talked about two things. We talked about both the transformational power of the gospel in the lives of the church, that it really can transform a human heart, and that takes a lot of effort.
• 1:56
  But the gospel can do that. But not only is it transformational, it is also influential. That these Thessalonians, because they gave themselves wholly over to the word of God, they influenced other churches in the area.
• 2:10
  Last week, we talked about not living for the glory of man, but rather living for the glory of God. And we started in chapter two, talking about Paul's ministry to this church, right? And he says, when I came to you in order to give you the gospel, I didn't come to flatter you, to boost your self-esteem, to make me feel good about myself and my apostleship. But I came in order to glorify God. And in your reception of the gospel, God received much glory.
• 2:40
  And so none of this is about the glory of man. It is about the glory of God. Last week, Danny told us that there comes a point where you have to decide whether man's opinions of you are going to matter or whether God's opinion of you is going to matter. And he said in his sophomore year in high school, that's when he was going bald. And he had to decide very early on, am I going to care about what people think or am I going to care about what God thinks of me?
• 3:08
  And I was joking with my wife after that sermon. I said, man, my sophomore year, since then, my hair has gotten better and better every year with age. It's like a good wine, you know? Praise God. I'm just kidding. That's ridiculous. You know, I was the first week that Nathan was on staff. We were sitting on a Wednesday morning in our staff meeting, and it was me and Claudia and then Nathan, Danny, and Bob Jones.
• 3:39
  And I remember looking at them, feeling my baby soft face, hoping that I would one day have a beard. It's been my number one prayer request for like five years. Jesus, give it to me. No, I'm just kidding. But that's what we've been talking about the last couple weeks. Today, we are going to talk about 1 Thessalonians 2, finish out the chapter, and we are going to discuss the word of God. This book, we're going to discuss its sufficiency and its power.
• 4:09
  I'm going to pray for us. Then we're going to jump right into this passage. And so pray with me. Lord, thank you for this church, for our students. Thank you for all that you're doing here. And God, above even those things, we do thank you for your word, which reveals you to us, which lets us see your beautiful face. I pray that we would be reminded today.
• 4:45
  of the beauty and glory of your word. We love you, and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. All right, let's go. Verse 13, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 says this, And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea.
• 5:15
  For you suffer the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out and displeased God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved. So as always to fill up the measure of their sins, but wrath has come upon them at last. Of all the religious and philosophical messages in pluralistic Thessalonica, the church believed that there was something.
• 5:44
  different about this gospel of jesus christ it was different this wasn't just religious teaching but it was radical transformation it didn't speak of self-esteem or self-help it went beyond those things it spoke of god and life and purpose and meaning and sin and forgiveness
• 6:15
  redemption, and salvation. Its uniqueness grabbed the hearts and minds of those who would become the Thessalonian church as it proved two things. And these are the two things I want to talk about this morning when we're talking about the Bible. Two things that made themselves evident in the lives of the Thessalonians. But the first is the sufficiency of the word, and second is the power of the word.
• 6:42
  The sufficiency and the power of the word. This gospel changed their minds in their pluralistic society. And so let's look at that first one. The word of God is sufficient. It is sufficient. When the gospel reached the ears of the Thessalonians, it proved to be so sufficient in its knowledge of God and salvation that it put all of their other religious beliefs to rest. We've been talking the last couple weeks about
• 7:10
  the society at Thessalonica and how it was very much like modern day America in that you've got your truth, I've got my truth, and let's consider them all on the same level of truth. Like yours can't be more true than mine because I don't want to offend you, right? So we've got all these philosophies and ideas floating around and no one in society at large saying, this is what it is. Those are false. This is true. That's what Thessalonica was like. And again, it's like,
• 7:41
  America. The word of God, when it came to these people, put all of that other stuff to rest because it was enough for their souls. It was sufficient. It didn't leave their spiritual bellies hungry for anything else. That was the word of God, the gospel to the Thessalonians. Church, when you think about the word and when you read the word, is it enough for you?
• 8:11
  Does it satisfy your soul? Because it did for the Thessalonians. It really did. It sufficiently taught them about God's character, his work in the world, and salvation. And the good news for us today is that the sufficiency of the Bible has not changed in 2,000 years. The word will always be relevant to any situation we are in, whether as individuals or as a body.
• 8:42
  To this day, 2,000 years later, it is still God's primary and normative means of sufficiently teaching people about himself. And because that is true, it means that the Bible is necessary to Highland's well-being. It is not optional. It is necessary. Apart from the word church, apart from the word our prayers wander,
• 9:10
  Our mission wavers and our faith becomes a moral and spiritual guessing game. Apart from this book. I see this at work all the time consistently in students that I pastor here at the church. Students will come to me and they'll say, Sam, I'm really struggling and I don't really feel close to God. And I'm really wrestling with sin. I don't really know if I really even believe. What do I do?
• 9:39
  And every time they come up to me and ask me that, I ask them the same question. I say, are you reading the Bible? And every time without fail, they say no. Every time. And they're experiencing this kind of guessing game lifestyle of spirituality because there is nothing to base it on. They go, no, I think I can figure this spiritual thing out by myself without reading the word. They think themselves independent from the word. And so they're left in spiritual.
• 10:12
  ambiguity. Church, apart from God's self-disclosure in scripture, you and I stand in spiritual ignorance before the unapproachable light of his holiness. Apart from this, our souls stand before the throne of God, and we know so little. We just know that he's holy, but we don't know anything else about his character or how he feels toward us. Is he gracious? Is he not?
• 10:44
  We don't know any of that apart from the word. With the word, however, our lives stand on a solid foundation which external suffering cannot erode and internal doubt cannot destabilize. It provides a foundation for your life. Listen to this verse from an old hymn called How Firm a Foundation. It says this, how firm a foundation you saints of the Lord.
• 11:16
  is laid for your faith in his excellent word. What more can he say than to you he has said, who unto the Savior for refuge have fled? How firm a foundation is God's word. Now, scripture is not only sufficient to teach you and I about God and spiritual things, but we also believe that the word is sufficient for all things life.
• 11:45
  Scripture, despite its age, has retained its relevancy for thousands of years. And this is a trippy thought, but this book wasn't written a hundred years ago. It was written thousands of years ago, and yet it still has so much to say about us and our lives in 21st century America. It hasn't lost its relevancy.
• 12:11
  Although our culture disagrees with the church on a wide array of issues, we believe that they're all informed by the word. And so as a church, when faced with the issue of abortion, when faced with the issue of homosexuality, when faced with any issue under the current umbrella of the sexual identity crisis that our country is in right now, we turn to the word for our answers.
• 12:35
  When considering politics or social justice or parenting or marriage or finances or racial reconciliation, ethics, we derive our wisdom and our answers from the word. The wisdom of man is insufficient to handle all those things. And we all know this is true. When you look at the state of America today, with all of the...
• 12:59
  social issues that are going on right now, no one would say that America is socially thriving or unified. We may have more money than other countries, but we're not thriving. Why? Because our nation as a whole has rejected the wisdom of God and said, we can handle this. And as the church, we're looking at the fallout from this false wisdom and going, it's not working. This has the wisdom we need. Man's wisdom is insufficient.
• 13:32
  God's wisdom can govern all of that. Listen to this old hymn. It's called Jehovah's Perfect Law. It's beautiful. It's based on Psalm 19, but it talks about the word of God, its sufficiency. Listen to this. Jehovah's perfect law restores the soul again. His testimony sure gives wisdom unto men. The precepts of the Lord are right and fill the heart with great delight.
• 13:58
  The Lord's commands are pure. They light and joy restore. Jehovah's fear is clean, enduring evermore. His statutes let the world confess our holy truth and righteousness. They are to be desired above the finest gold. Then honey from the comb, more sweetness far they hold. With warnings they your servant guard, in keeping them is great reward.
• 14:21
  His errors, who can know, cleanse me from hidden stain, keep me from willful sins, nor let them o'er me reign. And then I upright shall appear and be from great transgressions clear. And finally, when e'er you search my life, may all my thoughts within and all the words I speak your full approval win. O Lord, you are a rock to me and my redeemer you shall be. Praise God that he has
• 14:55
  given us a Bible that actually has something good to say. It is sufficient for you, Hyland. This book, it is enough. Not only is the word sufficient, however, it is also power. The word of God is sufficient. The word of God is power. Now, the evidence of the word's power in the life of this church at Thessalonica was found in their unwillingness to compromise the truth
• 15:31
  in the face of suffering. Look again at verse 14. Verse 13, he says, you accepted it as the word of God, right? Not the word of men. Verse 14, for, that word for is an important one, for, it's explanatory, for you brothers became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. How did they do that? For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from
• 15:57
  The Jews who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and drove us out and displeased God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved. So as always to fill up the measure of their sins, but wrath has come upon them at last. The word of God demonstrated its power in the lives of these people because it changed their emotional disposition toward suffering.
• 16:29
  This is one of the traits of the gospel that I think is amazing. When the church at Thessalonica got started, it was not a really pretty start. Danny talked about this a couple weeks ago in Acts chapter 17. But Paul goes in, starts preaching, and there are a number of people who come to the Lord. They get saved and they reject all this other philosophy and say, we're going to follow the Lord because it's not the word of men. This is made up. This is the word of God.
• 16:57
  We're going to follow the Lord. However, there were a ton of Jews in the area who rejected the gospel, said we will not follow it. And then they stirred up the city of Thessalonica into a riot against these believers. Now, I don't know what your conversion was like, but imagine day one of your salvation, your new life in Jesus, and you've got family members and friends and the entire city of Westminster out on the hunt for you.
• 17:26
  trying to stamp out your faith. This church was started in affliction and yet they handled it, not as the world would handle it, but as God would have them handle it. Look at 1 Thessalonians 1. So just a page before where you're at right now. 1 Thessalonians 1, look at verse 4. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you because our gospel came to you, not only in word, but also in power.
• 17:57
  and in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake. Here's the power, verse 6. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
• 18:26
  The power of God at work in these people gave them joy in suffering. Their possession of joy in suffering validated their profession of faith in the Lord. And church, this is not a one-time example in the word. The New Testament repeatedly shows that when God's people place their whole life's dependence on what is said in this,
• 18:56
  book, he gives them a change of emotional disposition toward suffering. And here's what I mean. When the gospel comes into a heart and transforms a person, it changes their worldview and their value system. Before Christ, for you and for me, you were at the top of your own value system. Even if you wouldn't admit it, you were at the top. And so things that served you were good and things that harmed you were bad, right? You were your own God.
• 19:30
  When the gospel comes in and transforms the heart, it changes the value system to God being on top and it moves you further down the list. It places him at the top. And because there is the change in that value system, it changes your entire worldview. And this is exactly what it did for these people. But when you are at the top and you experience suffering, you cannot have joy. What would you have joy in? You're at the top and the top of your hierarchy is being challenged and threatened.
• 20:01
  So what are you going to be happy about? When God is at the top and your well-being is threatened, he's still at the top. That's what these people experienced. That's why Paul can write to them and say, you had joy in the midst of your suffering and affliction because you knew God has not forsaken you. And one day he's going to come back and to take you to be where he is. That has not changed. Your suffering has not changed that.
• 20:35
  Do you see? It changed their values, and because it changed their values, it changed their worldview. And when their worldview is changed, it is possible to have joy in the midst of suffering. One of the first times I was ever really challenged by this idea of joy and suffering, I think I was a sophomore or a junior in high school, and I read Acts 5.
• 21:01
  And I was trying to figure out like, what is a true disciple of Christ? What does it mean to be an authentic Christian? And then I read Acts 5 where the apostles go in before the Sanhedrin, right? The big dogs. And they say, we have been telling you to stop preaching this gospel for days and days and days and days. And you're not stopping. And so you need to stop because we don't like it. And they say, listen, whether or not it's right to you, we can't stop preaching about what we've seen and heard about this Jesus.
• 21:33
  And so they say, okay, if you're not going to stop, you're going to pay for it. And they beat them right then and there. And do you remember what happens? The apostles leave the Sanhedrin with blood running down their backs, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. Like if you're not a real Christian, you would not do that, right? You would complain.
• 22:05
  But these guys, they experienced the true power of the gospel so that they said, God, you are worthy. And if us being beaten shows these men how glorious you actually are, you're at the top. That's the goal. We can have joy in our suffering in church. This joy and the power of the Thessalonians, of the gospel at work in their lives, is available to you today. It has not changed.
• 22:34
  God invites us, warmly invites us to throw all of our lives onto the gospel, to place all our dependence on his sufficient and powerful word. And he wants us to experience the transformative power of the gospel in our lives. He doesn't want you to be better. He wants you to be new. And the gospel can make that happen. I heard a story a number of years ago at this point.
• 23:08
  about the power of the word at work in the life of a man from Vietnam. And so I want to share that story with you today. There was an energetic young Christian named Kien Pham who lived in Vietnam in 1971. He worked with American forces during the war as a translator, and he also aided a number of missionaries in the area doing work at that time. And so he traveled all over Vietnam.
• 23:36
  helping the American forces and these missionaries. But shortly after Vietnam fell, he was imprisoned on accusations of helping the Americans. His jailers tried to indoctrinate him against democratic ideals and the Christian faith. His literary exposure in jail was restricted to communist propaganda in French or Vietnamese, and the daily deluge of marks and angles began to take its toll. Maybe, he thought, I've been lied to.
• 24:05
  Maybe the West has deceived me. Maybe God does not exist. And so he determined that when he awakened the next day, he would not pray anymore or think of his faith. The next morning, he was assigned the dreaded chore of cleaning the prison latrines. As he cleaned out a tin can overflowing with toilet paper, his eye caught what seemed to be English printed on one piece of paper.
• 24:34
  So he hurriedly grabbed it, he washed it off, and after his roommates had retired for the night, he retrieved the paper and read the words Romans chapter 8. Trembling, he began to read, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. For I am convinced that nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And he wept. He knew his Bible and knew that there was not a more relevant passage.
• 25:02
  for one on the verge of surrender. He cried out to God, asking forgiveness, for this was to have been the first day that he would not pray. Evidently, God had other plans. After finding the scripture, Hien asked the commander if he could clean the latrines every day, because he discovered that some official was using a Bible as toilet paper. Each day, he picked up a portion of scripture, cleaned it off, and added it to his collection of nightly reading.
• 25:31
  What his tormentors were using for refuse could not be more treasured to him. The day eventually came when through an equally providential set of circumstances, he was released from prison. He promptly began to make plans to leave the country and to construct a boat for the escape of him and 53 others. All was going according to plan until days before their departure when four Viet Cong knocked on his door and said they had heard of his escape.
• 26:01
  He denied it and they left. And he felt relieved, but at the same time disappointed with himself. And so he made a promise to God, desperately hoping that God would not take him up on it. But he said that if the Viet Cong returned, he would tell them the truth. He was thoroughly shaken only a few hours before they were to set sail when the four Viet Cong came and knocked at his door again. And they questioned him and he confessed the truth.
• 26:31
  And to his astonishment, the men leaned forward and in hushed tones asked if they could go with him. In an utterly incredible escape plan, all 58 of them found themselves on the high seas, suddenly engulfed by a violent storm. And Hien cried out to God, did you bring us here to die? Years later, when Hien was recounting this story to a friend, he told him, brother, if it would not have been for the sailing abilities of those four Viet Cong, we would not have made it.
• 27:01
  They eventually arrived at Thailand and Hien came to America where today he is a businessman. That is the power of the word of God. To find a man in prison who has nothing, doubting his own faith, and that day God says, I will prove the sufficiency of my word for you. I will prove the power of my word to you. And gave him Romans 8. The word is power. It beckons back the doubter. It reconciles.
• 27:39
  enemies. Highland, your Bibles are sufficient for your souls and they're also powerful. I've been praying all week that when we come to this passage that we would simply be reminded of the greatness and the beauty of the Bible and that we would be filled with gratitude that God has given this to you. That's been my prayer for you guys all week. The word is sufficient and the word is power.
• 28:12
  I'm going to end with verses 17 to 20. Let's look at verse 17. But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time in person, not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face because we wanted to come to you. I, Paul, again and again, but Satan hindered us. For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus that is coming? Is it not you?
• 28:43
  For you are our glory and our joy. When Paul looked at this church that he planted, they made him really proud. Because when they read this, they didn't just receive it as some word of man, but as the word of God. And Hyland, I want to tell you guys this morning, your pastors are really proud of you. When we think about you guys, you guys bring us a lot of joy. For Paul, when he thought about the Lord's coming,
• 29:22
  Jesus is coming back. He knew that all he would be able to offer up for his life was the churches that he had planted. And when he thought of Thessalonica, he said, God, I want to offer them to you. I am not afraid. They're a church that honors your word. When Jesus comes back, I want you guys to know that your pastors are eager and confident to offer you up to the Lord. We're not afraid.
• 29:55
  Like, God, here's the church. They're all right. But no, when we think about you, we just go, man, God, like, look at this church. Look at what you've done. Look at your word and the spirit, how they've worked. Look at these people. They're amazing. Church, you are our glory and our joy. On that day, if we receive applause for anything as your pastors, it will be for you.
• 30:24
  When we're filled with joy, it will be joy over you. We love you, and we're really proud of the church that you are. There are so many things happening at this church that deserve to be commended, and so I'm going to do that. We praise God as your pastors for the genuine growth that is desired among you, that you do see this as the word of God.
• 30:52
  that you want to grow, that you're hungry, that you want to grow in worship of the Lord. You want to draw close to him. We praise God for that. We praise God for the care that our people have for each other in prayer and even financial generosity and the welcoming attitude that you guys have toward visitors. That makes us really proud. On a weekly basis, when we're praying in Danny's office on a Wednesday morning over all the prayer requests that you guys send in to us in the backs of those seats, you know,
• 31:21
  Every single week I hear about people in the church who are looking out for each other and sacrificing for each other without making a big show of it. They don't come in like, how's your week? Man, I'm doing really good, you know? I sacrificed so much for this person this week. Like, that's not the attitude. It's just like, this is what we do. Like, we're the church. Of course we're going to sacrifice. Of course we're going to pour our time and our energy into one another. Of course.
• 31:51
  And it makes us proud because I just go, man, our people are nailing it. They're doing what God wants them to do. We praise God for the time and energy put into all of our ministries, from the kids to the sages. Man, I praise God for our youth group. I'm really proud of them. The passion that they demonstrate for spiritual things, their authenticity in seeking the Lord, being examples and lights at their school.
• 32:27
  Man, youth students, you guys make me really proud. I rejoice over you. I'm proud of the commitment of our elder board to our people. Man, your elders are not messing around. They're for real. And then lastly, I am really proud that God has given us a senior pastor that he has. Paul was the Thessalonians guy. He planted the church.
• 33:00
  He says, man, you're my glory and my joy. And I constantly in my prayers and praying for you. I'm thinking about you. And Highland, that is Danny. Not many of you guys get to see the amount of thought and prayer and discussion during the week that happens here in his office for your sake. He thinks about you. He cares for you.
• 33:33
  agonizes in prayer over you, is constantly thinking of ways that we can serve you and make things just better, more conducive for you to worship the Lord. Constantly. Man, I praise God for his care and love toward us. He's a good senior pastor. Danny, we praise God for you.
• 34:04
  Church, you are our glory and our joy, and we want you to know that ultimately we know that Christ is deserving of all the praise for all of this stuff, all of it. He's the one that has brought us together. He's the one that is working in each one of your lives. He is the one who has given us his word. He has made us who we are, and he's worthy of all the praise and all of the glory.
• 34:38
  forever and ever for the work that he has done in our lives. Amen. Amen. Church, the word is sufficient. It is power and you are our glory and our joy. Let's pray. God, thank you for Highland. Thank you for the men and women that you have brought here to be a part of this body. I thank you for the work that you are doing, so much of which is behind the scenes.
• 35:12
  I pray that these people would be encouraged today. I pray that they would be filled with just that hunger and that desire to read your word and to know it and to know you. Thank you, Jesus, for all of your love for us. Pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.