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Don't Stop at Salvation! · In the Stillness Podcast

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  Hey, you guys, it's friendly. Welcome back to the podcast.
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  I'm really glad you're here today.
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  Happy Thursday. Today we are continuing in
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  Second Thessalonians, and today's passage, because we
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  broke it up, is actually just two verses.
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  But I don't want the length to fool you guys.
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  These verses are so powerful, and I do think sometimes the
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  shorter passages are the ones that deserve the slowest
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  reflection. So today, because it is shorter,
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  I want to do something a little different.
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  I'm going to read them over you in two different translations.
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  First, I'm going to do the NIV because that is what my physical
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  Bible is. But then I also want to read the
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  Passion translation because I think it also just help us
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  consider these verses in different language, and it can
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  also resonate in different ways. So as you listen, I want to
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  encourage you, don't rush past it.
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  Let these words really sink in. Ask God to reveal something
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  fresh to you through these verses today, even if you've
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  read them before. Scripture is living and active
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  as it says in the Word. And the Lord loves to highlight
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  new things to us when we slow down and when we listen.
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  So we're going to be in chapter 1 and reading through verses 11
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  through 12. First, the NIV.
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  With this in mind, we constantly pray for you that our God may
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  make you worthy of His calling and that by His power He may
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  bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your
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  every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of
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  our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you and him according
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  to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  OK, now let's do passion translation.
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  Because of this, we constantly pray for you that our God will
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  make you worthy of the calling He has given you, and with
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  divine power He will fulfill your every righteous desire and
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  every act prompted by your faith.
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  By accomplishing this work in you.
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  The name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you
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  will be glorified in him by the marvellous grace of our God and
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  the Lord Jesus Christ. So good.
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  OK, so first of all, this passage I'm going to read
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  through the NIV, like that kind of translation because that's
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  what my physical Bible was. But it begins with with this in
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  mind. That phrase connects directly to
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  what Paul said right before this, that believers will share
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  in the glory of Christ when he returns.
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  And he says this includes you because you believed our
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  testimony. So these verses are directed
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  toward believers, toward people who claim to follow Jesus.
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  And that's important because salvation is not meant to be the
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  finish line of faith. It's actually the starting
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  point. If you think back to the prayer
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  of salvation, if you're a believer, it's sometimes called
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  the sinner's prayer, that thing that you said, it is a prompting
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  into a whole new life because yes, it saves you, but it
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  doesn't just stop there. And I think in a world of a lot
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  of cultural Christianity, a lot of people do stop there because
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  they're comfortable. They want heaven, they want to
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  be saved from hell, but they don't necessarily want the
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  lifelong process of becoming more like Jesus, denying your
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  flesh and committing to that. But Paul reminds us here that we
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  do have a calling. Romans 829.
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  It says for those God foreknew, he also predestined to be
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  conformed to the image of his Son.
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  That means that it is ongoing and it is a process.
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  This is what the Bible calls sanctification, which this word
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  used to be one that kind of intimidated me.
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  It sounds super theological and kind of complicated, but really
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  it's pretty simple because it just means the process of
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  becoming more like Jesus and one day that process will be
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  complete. We see in first John 32 that it
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  says we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him,
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  for we shall see him as he is. And Philippians 3 verse 20 says
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  Jesus will transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious
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  body. So y'all, that's our ultimate
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  calling. But until then, we are in the
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  process of becoming. And Paul also says he is
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  constantly praying for believers to be made worthy.
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  Notice the wording constantly praying.
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  This implies it's not a one time prayer.
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  It's continual. It's repeated.
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  And this is something that we need to be praying over
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  ourselves and over others daily. Here's something though that's
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  super important. Paul says that this happens by
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  God's power, not our own effort, not our own strength.
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  And this is where the concept of grace just rushes in.
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  I want us to think about this. You did not earn your salvation
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  right if you truly believe it is by grace through faith.
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  So you did not work for it. You did not even deserve it.
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  You simply said, I want to be saved.
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  And you received salvation when you believed.
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  So why do we sometimes act like we have to strive to keep it?
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  God's grace started the work, and it is by God's power that he
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  continues the work in us. Our role is the posture of the
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  heart. Paul says that God fulfills
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  every desire for goodness and every deed prompted by faith.
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  I read the Aramaic translation and it's actually really cool.
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  I want to read it for y'all. It says by his power he will
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  fulfill your every resolve for goodness and works of faith.
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  In other words, our actions do matter.
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  Your work meaning how you live your day-to-day life through the
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  way you speak, how you treat people, serve people, love
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  others, how you just move throughout the world.
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  Is your desire for goodness carried out?
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  And honestly, I think this is where our society sometimes can
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  get apathetic because we like the idea of goodness.
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  I don't think it's hard to want to do the right thing to have
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  that desire. We like the idea of faith, but a
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  lot of the times follow through is what is missing.
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  Paul is reminding believers that our faith should actually
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  produce something, not empty talk, not just words.
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  And we all, I'm pretty sure, probably know someone who may
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  say a lot of things, but they don't really follow through with
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  their actions. And they can make those
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  friendships and relationships difficult because you never know
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  if they're actually going to commit.
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  But God is looking for followers who are devoted, who are all in
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  and fully surrendered. A lot of people say that they
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  want to be used by God, but they're not truly willing to
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  commit to living in a way that actually allows Him to use them.
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  And when we truly live by God's power, by God's grace, something
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  supernatural happens. You can't fake it.
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  You can't fake spiritual transformation.
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  I was re listening to a podcast yesterday and the pastor in it
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  said you cannot fake countenance.
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  That stuck with me. Psalm 34 says those who look to
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  the Lord are radiant. They know no shame.
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  That's because real followers of Jesus reflect Him.
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  Their light is not dimmed. It's so clear.
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  And ultimately that is the purpose of all of this.
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  Paul says that the goal is that the name of Jesus would be
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  glorified in US. It says in John 17 verses 22
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  through 23, this is Jesus. It is so intimate, y'all.
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  He is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before He is betrayed
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  and ultimately goes to the cross, but he prays this to His
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  Father. I have given them the glory that
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  You gave Me, that they may be one as we are one, I and them
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  and You and Me, so that they may be brought to complete unity.
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  Then then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved
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  them even as You have loved me. Guys, he said that the glory the
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  Father gave Him, He is now given to us so that the world may see
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  and believe. That is incredible to think
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  about that God in the flesh is inviting us to share in His
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  glory so that the world can see Him through us.
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  And the whole thing is fueled by grace.
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  Grace is a gift. All we do is receive the grace.
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  So I want to give you all a few reflection questions that I
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  jotted down in my notes that y'all can also think about.
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  What are your motivations? Why do you do what you do every
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  day? Are you trying to prove
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  something to others or is your life aimed at honouring God?
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  What is your work inspired by? Sit with that one for a bit
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  because I don't think it's going to be an immediate answer.
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  I think it's something that you really do need to think about.
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  And also, does your life show the fruit of the Spirit?
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  Does it show it coming to fruition?
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  An increase in love and joy and peace and patience and kindness
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  and goodness and faithfulness and self-control?
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  Is that growing? So with all these things, let's
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  go ahead and close out in prayer.
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  Dear Lord, thank you for the calling that you have placed on
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  our lives as believers. Thank you that salvation is a
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  gift of grace. It's not something that we could
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  ever earn. It's not something that we could
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  ever deserve. But thank you also that You love
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  us too much to just leave us where we began.
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  God, we boldly ask that you would make us worthy of the
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  calling that you have given us. By your power working in us,
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  would you give us a deeper desire for goodness?
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  Let our faith, let it move beyond words into real action,
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  into real obedience. I pray that we would walk the
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  walk, not just talk the talk, search our hearts, reveal our
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  motives. Lord, I pray that everything we
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  do would bring you glory, would exalt the name of Jesus.
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  Lord, let Your light shine through us so that we clearly
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  present to the world You. We receive your grace today
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  freely. As we freely receive it, so we
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  freely give it. Thank you for continuing the
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  work that you once started in us.
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  We ask this all in your name, Jesus.
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  Amen. OK guys.
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  Well, that's where I'm going to close for today's episode.
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  Praying that you can take some things away and reflect on these
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  questions and that the Lord ministers and speaks to your
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  heart. Have a great rest of your day.