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Paul's Thanksgiving · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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that we read. Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians, in chapter 1, reading again at verse 3.
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We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is
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growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
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Therefore, we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith
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in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
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The last time I conducted the prayer meeting here, the English prayer meeting, was over two months ago.
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It was at the very beginning of February. We read together from the same chapter as we read this evening.
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And after giving a brief introductory overview to the letter, a letter that has its overall theme,
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living in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ's second coming.
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I went on to speak on the opening verses under the title of Pauline Greeting.
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I had three headings, the sender of the letter, the content of the letter, and the recipients of the letter.
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Well, tonight I'd like to consider Paul's thanksgiving as it is set out in these verses we have taken as a text.
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First, thanksgiving, and then secondly, thanksgiving for what?
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And thirdly, reasons for boasting.
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Firstly, thanksgiving.
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Before putting the spotlight on what Paul has written,
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let's put it on ourselves first.
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If I asked you to write a descriptive, biographical paragraph about yourself,
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would thanksgiving feature largely in your description of yourself?
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And I'd like to pursue that by asking a series of questions.
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When you awake in the morning, is there thankfulness for a measure of night rest?
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Many don't get that, and yet they are still thankful to God.
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Is there thankfulness for the facilities that you enjoy in the home?
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For example, a shower or a bath?
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There are those in the world who don't have that, and they are still thankful to God.
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Is there thankfulness for the measure of health and strength you enjoy?
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Now, perhaps that question might appear to be addressed to the older age group,
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but not necessarily so.
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Again, there are those who do not enjoy the measure of health and strength that we have this evening,
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but they are still thankful to God.
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If you are an employee or an employer,
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is there thankfulness in your heart for employment?
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Many are neither in employment or an employer,
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not because they don't want to work,
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but because of some disability or form of illness,
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and yet they are still thankful to God.
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Is there thankfulness for family?
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And the circle of friends that you enjoy?
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There are those who don't have family,
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or a circle of friends,
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but they are still thankful to God.
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Above all is there thankfulness in your heart
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that Christ Jesus came into the world
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to save sinners,
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and that he saved you.
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I could continue.
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But let's ask the question again,
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does thanksgiving feature largely in your life?
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And the reason I ask is that sin,
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both original sin and actual sin,
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have made us, as people,
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selfish and ungrateful.
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Oh yes, we readily approach the Lord
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when we are in need.
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But how often do we approach the Lord
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to give thanks for his mercies?
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Do you remember how David
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recognized the signs of ingratitude
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in his own soul?
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In the psalm that we sang together just now,
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Psalm 103,
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he exhorts his inner self
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to praise the Lord.
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Bless the Lord,
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oh my soul.
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Heart religion
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is great.
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The psalmist wants praise to come
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from his soul,
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his inner person.
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Not enough for him to praise the Lord
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with only his feet,
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by coming to a service,
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or the prayer meeting,
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or only by his mouth,
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by speaking and singing.
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Why is it not enough?
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Because he has learned
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that God rejects worship.
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That is,
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only outward,
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when our hearts are far from him.
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That is surely why the psalmist implores,
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bless the Lord,
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oh my soul,
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and all that is within me,
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bless his holy name.
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And in that psalm,
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he stirs his heart in gratitude
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by making it remember
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all that God has done for him.
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Bless the Lord,
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oh my soul,
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and forget not all his benefits.
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And you see what the psalmist is saying.
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He is saying that praise happens
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when the heart gratefully remembers
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God's blessings in our salvation.
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True gratitude is a powerful motivation
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to worship the Lord God.
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It is thanksgiving that causes believers
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to live in praise of God.
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And the psalmist urges us
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to give thanks to the Lord,
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for he is good,
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for his steadfast love endures forever.
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The psalmist also reminds us
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it is good to give thanks to the Lord.
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Thanksgiving,
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a powerful stimulant
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to joyful,
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meaningful worship.
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Well, two further questions.
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Is thanksgiving,
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in this context,
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in the chapter that we read,
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a reluctant,
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grudging duty?
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Or is it a deep expression
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of Paul's indebtedness
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and an expression of exuberant joy?
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What do you think?
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And the reason I ask
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is the way in which
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the language is phrased.
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We ought,
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or we are obliged,
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says Paul,
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always to give thanks to God.
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Does the way in which
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the statement is framed,
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implied some degree
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of reluctance
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or hesitancy
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on the part of the apostle?
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Might be argued
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from what he has written
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later on in the letter
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that some,
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in Thessalonica,
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had not made the progress,
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either hoped for
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or even anticipated.
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For example,
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in the second chapter,
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we ask you brothers
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not to be quickly shaken
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in mind or alarmed,
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either by a spirit
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or a spoken word
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or a letter
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seeming to be from us
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to the effect
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that the day of the Lord
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has come.
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In the third chapter,
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we command you brothers
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in the name of our Lord
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Jesus Christ
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that you keep away
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from any brother
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who is walking in idleness
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and not in accord
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with the tradition
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that you received from us.
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And again in that chapter,
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for even when we were with you,
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we would give you this command,
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if anyone is not willing
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to work,
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let him not eat.
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For we hear
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that some among you
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walk in idleness,
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not busy at work,
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but busy bodies.
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And I said that
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based on these verses,
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the language here
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in our text
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may be understood
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to imply
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a reluctance
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to give thanks.
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However,
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from the evidence
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in our Bibles
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regarding the life
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and the ministry
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of Paul the Apostle,
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I don't believe
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that Paul
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ever felt reluctant
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or hesitant
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to give thanks.
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In my view,
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you would find it
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impossible
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to defend
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an argument
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that suggested
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that Paul
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was ever
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reluctant
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or hesitant
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to give thanks.
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Quite the reverse.
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You may argue
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from the words
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that he has written here
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that it is
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a moral duty
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to give thanks
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and rightly so,
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but not
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a duty
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in the sense
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that he had
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to drag himself
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or force himself
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to the throne
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of grace
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to express thanks.
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It is surely
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much more than that
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that Paul
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feels constrained
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to express
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gratitude
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to God,
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an expression
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of joy
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on the part
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of the Apostle
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as he reflects
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on what God
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has done.
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In fact,
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as you read
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his letters,
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you will notice
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that all of them,
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bar one,
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the letter
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to the Galatians,
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that they begin
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with thanksgiving.
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For example,
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even the letter
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to the,
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first letter
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to the Corinthians,
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remember,
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the church in Corinth
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was a church
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that had some
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very real problems
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that required
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addressing on the part
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of the apostle,
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and he says,
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I give thanks
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to my God
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always for you
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because of
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the grace of God
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that was given you
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in Christ Jesus.
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Paul then
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begins
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this letter,
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you could say,
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on a positive note
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as he does
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in almost
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all of his letters.
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And you know
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how some speakers
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wanting to get
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an audience
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on their side
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begin
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with a form
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of flattery.
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They are using
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a psychological
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technique
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to get the audience
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on their side.
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Well,
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Paul
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is not doing that.
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He is not
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setting them up
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here
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and then waiting
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to hit them
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with some
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devastating criticism.
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And you know,
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there is a very
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important principle
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being enunciated
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here.
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In fact,
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it is a challenging
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discipline
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for it prompts
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the question,
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what can I
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thank God
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about my
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fellow believers?
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Let me put it
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this way.
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Let's say
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a name is
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mentioned
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and you say
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O him
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or O her.
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and the first
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thought
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that crosses
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your mind
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is a negative
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one.
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Well,
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I once heard
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a very
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prominent
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Christian minister
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for whom
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I have great
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respect
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state
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that such
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negative
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thinking
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is the sign
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of a badly
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disciplined
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Christian mind.
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A badly
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disciplined
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Christian mind.
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a mind
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that does
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not look
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at what
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God
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in his
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grace
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has done
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for them
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or in his
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great mercy
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has done
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in them
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or in his
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power
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has done
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through them.
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And it
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may be
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that Paul
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himself
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felt this
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very much
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because
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of his
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background
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and how
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actively
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he engaged
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in persecuting
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the church
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of Christ
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prior to
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his
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conversion.
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I cannot
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be sure
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about that.
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But
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he always
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has something
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positive
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to say
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about the
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work of
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God
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in the
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lives
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of deeply
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flawed
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men,
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women,
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boys,
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or girls.
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And it
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reminds me
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of an
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elder
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who was
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once part
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of this
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congregation.
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He has
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long gone
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to his
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eternal
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rest.
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He always
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saw good
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in everyone
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to such
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an extent
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that a
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former
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minister
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of this
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congregation,
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also long
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gone to
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his rest,
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used to
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say of
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them when
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applicants
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were meeting
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with a
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kirk session
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for baptism.
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The minister
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used to
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say that
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this elder
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would give
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them an
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enthusiastic,
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warm,
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generous
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welcome,
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supposing
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even they
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were guilty
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of the
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act of
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murder
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itself.
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Such was
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the way
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that he
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looked upon
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his fellow
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men.
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Well,
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there is
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much to
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commend
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the person
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who sees
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good in
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others,
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because we
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are all,
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without
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exception,
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deeply
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flawed.
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we ought
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always,
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says the
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apostle,
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to give
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thanks to
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God.
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That is
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a given.
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We are
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enormously
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indebted
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to God.
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Our attitude
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ought to
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be that
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of the
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psalmist
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when he
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said,
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what shall
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I render
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to the
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Lord for
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all his
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benefits
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to me?
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Thanksgiving
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for Paul
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was not
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something
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grudged
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or something
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reluctant
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or hesitant,
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but a
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constant
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refrain in
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his life.
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he delights
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to give
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thanks.
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And should
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that not
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be the
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same of
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us?
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We are
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obliged to
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give thanks
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as the
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recipients of
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great blessings
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and rich
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gifts from
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a gracious,
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loving,
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and merciful
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God.
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And you
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note that
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Paul's
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Thanksgiving
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is
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exclusively
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addressed
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to God.
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Paul
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sees God
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as the
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source
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of all
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blessing,
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and it
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is to
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him
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that he
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gives
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thanks.
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Thanksgiving.
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It reminds
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me of a
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prayer that
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was apparently
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offered by
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Augustine,
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and it went
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something like
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this,
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Lord,
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whatever good
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there is in
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me is due
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to you.
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The rest
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is all
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my fault.
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And you
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know there's
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a lot of
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truth in
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that prayer.
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Thanksgiving
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then, an
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obligation for
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the wonderful
16:28
things that
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God has
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done in
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your life.
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secondly,
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thanksgiving
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for what?
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And Paul
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writes,
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your faith
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is growing
16:38
abundantly,
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and the
16:40
love of
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every one
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of you
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for one
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another
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is increasing.
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Oh, I
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think it
16:46
is worth
16:47
noting
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that Paul
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had been
16:50
praying for
16:52
this very
16:53
thing to
16:53
happen.
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If you
16:54
go back
16:55
to the
16:55
first letter
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to the
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Thessalonians,
16:58
we pray
16:58
most earnestly
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night and
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day that
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we may
17:01
see you
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face to
17:02
face and
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supply what
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is lacking
17:05
in your
17:05
faith.
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Now may
17:07
our God
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and Father
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himself and
17:09
our Lord
17:09
Jesus direct
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our way to
17:12
you, and
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may the
17:13
Lord make
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you increase
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and abound
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in love for
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one another
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and for
17:18
all.
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So, before
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examining what
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is growing and
17:21
increasing, we
17:23
can make this
17:23
deduction.
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Paul is
17:26
thanking the
17:26
Lord for
17:28
answered
17:28
prayers.
17:29
prayer.
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We know
17:31
from the
17:32
testimony of
17:33
the Bible
17:34
that Paul
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was a man
17:36
of prayer
17:37
from the
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outset of
17:40
his Christian
17:41
life.
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This is
17:43
the witness
17:44
of the
17:45
Lord himself
17:45
about this
17:47
man.
17:48
Behold,
17:49
he is
17:50
praying.
17:51
It was
17:52
the assurance
17:52
that the
17:53
Lord gave
17:53
to a
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skeptical,
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somewhat
17:58
dubious
17:59
and suspicious
18:00
Ananias,
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to convince
18:03
them that
18:03
Paul's
18:04
conversion
18:04
was truly
18:06
genuine.
18:07
Paul is
18:08
a man of
18:09
prayer, and
18:10
he and his
18:11
team had
18:12
been praying
18:12
to God
18:13
for believers
18:14
in Thessalonica,
18:15
just as they
18:16
prayed for
18:17
believers in
18:18
other places.
18:19
They had a
18:19
deep,
18:20
genuine,
18:21
pastoral
18:21
concern for
18:22
the spiritual
18:24
well-being of
18:26
the church
18:27
plant there.
18:29
Answer to
18:30
prayer, then,
18:32
is reason
18:33
for
18:34
thanksgiving.
18:36
Sometimes the
18:37
answer to
18:38
prayer may
18:38
surprise us.
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I think of
18:42
the early
18:42
church who
18:44
were gathered
18:45
to pray for
18:46
the release
18:47
of Peter
18:48
when he was
18:48
in prison,
18:50
and when
18:51
the Lord
18:51
marvelously
18:52
answered
18:54
their prayer,
18:55
even Peter
18:56
thought he
18:58
was seeing
18:58
a vision.
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But more
19:01
when he
19:01
arrived and
19:02
knocked at
19:03
the door of
19:04
the house
19:05
of Mary,
19:06
the mother
19:06
of John
19:07
Mark,
19:08
and you
19:08
remember a
19:09
woman by
19:09
the name
19:10
of Rhoda
19:10
came to
19:11
answer,
19:12
recognizing
19:13
Peter's
19:13
voice.
19:15
In her
19:15
joy, she
19:16
didn't open
19:16
the gate,
19:17
but ran in
19:18
and reported
19:18
that Peter
19:19
was standing
19:20
at the gate,
19:21
and they
19:21
said to her,
19:22
you're out
19:22
of your
19:23
mind.
19:23
But she
19:24
kept insisting
19:25
that it
19:25
was so,
19:25
and they
19:26
kept saying
19:26
it is his
19:27
angel.
19:29
Peter
19:29
continued
19:30
knocking,
19:30
and when
19:30
they opened,
19:32
they saw
19:33
and were
19:34
amazed.
19:35
The very
19:36
people who
19:36
had been
19:37
praying for
19:38
the release
19:39
of the
19:39
apostle,
19:40
they found
19:42
it staggering
19:42
to see
19:44
their prayer
19:45
answered in
19:47
this way.
19:49
So,
19:50
Paul is
19:51
giving
19:51
thanks for
19:53
answered
19:53
prayer,
19:54
but more
19:55
specifically,
19:57
he is
19:58
giving thanks
19:59
for the
19:59
evidence of
20:01
Christian
20:02
graces among
20:03
believers in
20:05
the Thessalonian
20:06
church.
20:07
Not just
20:08
the evidence
20:09
of Christian
20:11
graces,
20:12
but the
20:12
fact that
20:13
they're actually
20:14
growing,
20:15
they are
20:15
maturing,
20:16
in these
20:18
Christian
20:18
graces.
20:19
He gives
20:20
thanks for
20:20
two specific
20:22
areas of
20:23
development,
20:24
their faith
20:25
and their
20:27
love.
20:28
Your faith
20:29
is growing
20:29
abundantly,
20:31
and the
20:31
love of
20:31
every one
20:32
of you
20:32
for one
20:33
another
20:33
is increasing.
20:34
And the
20:35
verb that
20:35
Paul uses,
20:37
translated
20:38
growing
20:38
abundantly,
20:40
means literally
20:41
to super
20:42
abound.
20:43
your faith
20:46
is super
20:47
abounding.
20:48
Now, I
20:49
am quite
20:49
sure that
20:51
there would
20:52
have been
20:52
some who
20:54
did not
20:54
attain to
20:55
the same
20:55
level of
20:57
development,
20:58
but Paul
20:59
here is
20:59
majoring on
21:01
the positive.
21:02
His
21:03
description
21:04
gives you
21:05
the impression
21:05
that a
21:07
revival took
21:08
place in
21:09
that area.
21:10
were not
21:11
given
21:11
minute
21:12
detail of
21:14
every
21:14
believer
21:15
who was
21:16
there.
21:18
For those
21:19
who may
21:20
be familiar
21:21
with John
21:22
Bunyan's
21:23
Pilgrim's
21:24
Progress,
21:26
you may
21:27
remember
21:27
that Bunyan
21:28
uses many
21:31
descriptions,
21:32
not so
21:33
much to
21:35
describe
21:36
strong faith,
21:38
but weak
21:39
faith.
21:41
Bunyan seemed
21:42
to have
21:42
this
21:43
marvelous
21:44
gift of
21:45
thinking up
21:46
names to
21:48
portray very
21:48
vividly the
21:49
various
21:50
characters who
21:51
make up the
21:52
church of
21:53
Christ in
21:53
the world.
21:56
And
21:57
for forms
21:59
of weak
21:59
faith, he
22:00
used some
22:01
of these
22:01
names.
22:02
Must
22:03
have ready
22:03
to halt.
22:04
You don't
22:06
need great
22:07
powers of
22:07
imagination
22:08
to recognize
22:10
what is
22:10
implied.
22:11
Mr.
22:11
Ready to
22:12
halt, he
22:13
hobbled on
22:13
crutches to
22:14
the celestial
22:15
city.
22:16
Mr.
22:16
Feuding, who
22:17
shrank back
22:18
at the first
22:19
appearance of
22:20
trouble.
22:21
Mr.
22:21
Despondency
22:22
and Miss
22:22
Much Afraid
22:23
were locked
22:24
up in the
22:25
dungeon of
22:26
giant despair.
22:28
Mr.
22:28
Feeble
22:28
Mind was
22:29
held in
22:29
the cave
22:30
of giant
22:31
sleigh
22:31
good.
22:32
And so
22:33
as you
22:34
read of
22:34
these
22:34
different
22:35
characters,
22:36
immediately
22:37
a picture
22:38
is formed
22:39
in your
22:40
mind.
22:41
The names
22:41
are so
22:42
apt.
22:44
And
22:44
Spurgeon
22:45
makes the
22:45
observation
22:46
that Bunyan
22:48
left us
22:49
with these
22:50
graphic
22:51
descriptions
22:51
because
22:53
Bunyan
22:54
himself
22:54
had been
22:56
one another
22:56
of them,
22:58
one or
22:58
another of
22:59
them,
23:00
and he
23:00
had known
23:01
many others
23:01
who walked
23:02
in the
23:03
same path.
23:05
Well,
23:06
how does
23:06
little or
23:07
weak faith
23:08
grow strong?
23:10
I would
23:11
suggest that
23:12
it needs
23:12
to be
23:13
well fed.
23:15
It requires
23:16
a regular
23:17
diet of
23:19
the Word
23:19
of God.
23:21
Do you
23:21
remember
23:22
the description
23:24
that the
23:24
psalmist gives
23:25
us of a
23:26
believer
23:26
in Psalm
23:28
1?
23:29
His delight
23:30
is in
23:31
the law
23:31
of the
23:32
Lord.
23:33
And on
23:34
his law
23:34
he meditates
23:35
day and
23:36
night.
23:37
He is like
23:37
a tree
23:37
planted by
23:38
streams of
23:39
water that
23:39
yields its
23:40
fruit in
23:40
its season
23:41
and his
23:42
leaf does
23:43
not wither.
23:45
On
23:46
God's
23:47
law he
23:47
meditates
23:48
day and
23:49
night.
23:49
Now,
23:50
that doesn't
23:50
mean that
23:51
this person
23:51
is obsessed
23:53
with a
23:54
study of
23:54
the Ten
23:55
Commandments,
23:55
but that
23:57
he meditates
23:57
on the
23:58
whole
23:59
revelation
23:59
that God
24:00
has given
24:01
of himself
24:02
in his
24:03
truth.
24:05
And the
24:06
impression is
24:06
created that
24:07
such a
24:08
person is
24:09
blessed
24:09
with growing
24:11
faith.
24:12
For our
24:13
faith to
24:13
be like
24:14
a strong
24:15
tree that
24:16
grows and
24:16
is fruitful,
24:18
we must
24:19
have elbows
24:19
in the
24:20
water of
24:21
life.
24:22
I would
24:23
also suggest
24:24
that faith
24:25
grows through
24:26
prayer in
24:27
response to
24:28
God's
24:29
word.
24:30
It grows
24:31
through godly
24:32
fellowship,
24:33
through
24:34
association
24:35
with other
24:36
believers.
24:38
And that
24:38
is, I
24:39
believe, a
24:39
two-way
24:40
benefit here.
24:42
When we
24:43
are young,
24:44
we tend to
24:45
think that
24:45
perhaps we
24:46
know everything
24:47
and older
24:48
believers,
24:49
they don't
24:50
really know
24:50
anything.
24:51
But you
24:52
see, there
24:53
is a dual
24:54
benefit in
24:55
old and
24:56
young believers
24:57
meeting with
24:57
old believers
24:58
and vice
24:59
versa.
25:02
Young
25:03
believers can
25:04
be helped
25:04
by dialogue
25:06
with older
25:06
believers.
25:08
And older
25:09
believers are
25:10
rejuvenated
25:12
in the
25:13
company of
25:14
younger
25:15
believers.
25:16
And it
25:17
ought to be
25:18
a continuous
25:19
feature of
25:21
church life.
25:22
writer to
25:22
the Hebrews
25:23
puts it
25:23
like this,
25:24
exhort one
25:25
another every
25:26
day, as
25:26
long as it
25:27
is called
25:27
today, that
25:28
none of you
25:29
be hardened
25:29
by the
25:30
deceitfulness
25:30
of sin.
25:31
Your faith
25:32
is growing
25:33
abundantly.
25:35
And now
25:35
Paul says,
25:37
the love of
25:37
every one of
25:38
you for one
25:38
another is
25:39
increasing.
25:40
Don't you
25:40
just love
25:41
what the
25:42
apostle has
25:43
written there.
25:44
What a
25:44
testimony to
25:46
the work of
25:47
grace in the
25:49
lives of
25:49
those believers
25:51
in Thessalonica.
25:53
The word
25:54
that is used
25:55
in the
25:56
context here,
25:58
love
25:59
increasing,
26:00
is a word
26:02
that speaks
26:03
of a
26:04
diffusive
26:04
or expansive
26:06
character.
26:08
I suppose
26:09
one example
26:10
would be
26:10
of a flood
26:12
going over
26:14
a large
26:14
area.
26:15
And the
26:17
emphasis
26:18
here is
26:18
on the
26:19
wide
26:19
distribution
26:21
of their
26:21
love.
26:22
The love
26:22
of every
26:23
one of
26:23
you for
26:23
one another
26:24
is increasing.
26:27
And it
26:27
seems to
26:28
me that
26:28
this is
26:28
the kind
26:29
of love
26:29
that Jesus
26:31
spoke of
26:32
the night
26:33
of his
26:34
arrest.
26:35
Remember
26:35
what he
26:35
said to
26:36
his disciples,
26:37
a new
26:38
commandment
26:39
I give
26:40
to you.
26:41
What was
26:42
the new
26:42
commandment?
26:43
That you
26:43
love one
26:45
another.
26:46
Just as
26:47
I have
26:47
loved you,
26:48
you also,
26:49
he says,
26:50
are to
26:50
love one
26:51
another.
26:52
And you
26:52
know,
26:53
increased
26:54
knowledge of
26:55
the Bible
26:55
is very
26:57
important.
26:59
But
27:00
important as
27:01
it is,
27:02
it is not
27:03
the primary
27:04
mark of
27:05
a growing
27:06
Christian.
27:10
Increased
27:10
knowledge of
27:11
the word
27:12
will be
27:12
tested
27:13
by whether
27:15
or not
27:15
our love
27:17
for our
27:17
fellow
27:18
believers
27:18
is growing.
27:21
In writing
27:22
to the
27:22
Galatians,
27:23
Paul speaks
27:24
of faith
27:25
working
27:25
through love.
27:27
Now,
27:27
that doesn't
27:27
mean that
27:28
teaching and
27:29
doctrine is
27:30
unimportant.
27:31
Of course,
27:31
it isn't.
27:33
The New
27:33
Testament places
27:34
a high priority
27:36
on teaching.
27:37
But true
27:38
teaching or
27:39
true doctrine
27:40
breeds love.
27:42
love and
27:43
you know
27:43
the standard
27:44
that Christ
27:45
demands.
27:47
Just as
27:49
I have
27:49
loved you,
27:51
you also
27:52
are to
27:53
love one
27:54
another.
27:56
How humbling
27:57
that is,
27:59
because the
28:01
truth is
28:02
that none,
28:03
but none
28:04
of us,
28:05
love us.
28:06
Christ
28:07
loved us.
28:09
if we
28:11
seek to
28:11
grow in
28:12
love
28:12
through
28:12
God's
28:13
word,
28:14
and if
28:14
we pray
28:15
for God
28:16
to give
28:16
us the
28:17
love of
28:17
Christ,
28:18
then our
28:18
capacity to
28:19
love will
28:20
grow as
28:22
we become
28:22
more and
28:23
more Christ-like
28:25
in our
28:26
lives.
28:26
And Jesus
28:27
adds this
28:28
comment,
28:30
by this,
28:31
by this
28:33
mark.
28:33
In other
28:34
words,
28:34
all people
28:35
will know
28:36
that you
28:37
are my
28:38
disciples
28:38
if you
28:40
have love
28:40
for one
28:41
another.
28:44
Francis
28:45
Schaeffer,
28:46
some of
28:46
you may
28:47
be
28:47
familiar
28:48
with his
28:49
writings,
28:50
in an
28:50
essay on
28:50
the mark
28:51
of a
28:51
Christian,
28:53
he wrote
28:53
something like
28:54
this,
28:55
through the
28:55
centuries,
28:56
people
28:57
have
28:58
displayed
28:59
many
29:00
different
29:01
symbols
29:01
to show
29:02
that they
29:03
are
29:03
Christians.
29:05
They have
29:05
worn
29:05
badges
29:06
or
29:06
chains
29:07
around
29:08
their
29:08
neck.
29:09
Not so
29:10
long ago,
29:11
I saw
29:11
in the
29:11
press
29:12
somebody
29:12
in
29:14
difficulty
29:14
at their
29:15
work
29:15
because
29:16
they were
29:16
wearing
29:16
a chain
29:17
that
29:18
indicated
29:18
that they
29:19
were
29:20
Christians.
29:21
And even
29:21
some went
29:22
to the
29:22
extent
29:22
of having
29:23
special
29:24
haircuts.
29:26
But Schaeffer
29:26
says,
29:27
there is a
29:28
much better
29:28
sign.
29:30
It's a
29:30
universal
29:31
mark that
29:32
is to
29:32
last
29:33
through
29:34
all the
29:34
ages of
29:35
the
29:35
church
29:35
until
29:36
Christ
29:36
returns.
29:38
It is
29:38
love.
29:40
Love to
29:41
one another.
29:42
It is
29:42
the mark
29:43
that impressed
29:44
the pagan
29:45
world of
29:46
old.
29:47
In the
29:47
days of
29:48
the early
29:48
New
29:49
Testament
29:49
church,
29:51
see how
29:52
they love
29:52
one another
29:53
was the
29:54
comment
29:54
that was
29:55
passed.
29:56
See how
29:57
they are
29:57
ready to
29:58
die for
29:59
one another.
30:00
Little
30:00
wonder then
30:01
that the
30:01
apostle gives
30:02
thanks for
30:04
these two
30:04
specific
30:06
developments
30:06
in the
30:08
life of
30:09
believers in
30:10
Thessalonica.
30:12
Marks that
30:13
testify to
30:15
what grace
30:15
has done
30:16
for them
30:17
and to
30:18
the power
30:19
of grace
30:19
working through
30:21
them.
30:22
Thanksgiving
30:23
for what?
30:24
Thanksgiving
30:25
for answered
30:26
prayer,
30:27
but primarily
30:27
for growth
30:29
and grace.
30:30
Thanksgiving
30:31
and obligation
30:32
and finally
30:33
reasons for
30:34
boasting.
30:35
Time is
30:35
going.
30:36
You know
30:36
that Paul
30:37
has written
30:37
of faith
30:38
and love
30:39
and your
30:40
natural
30:41
inclination
30:42
would be to
30:44
expect something
30:45
about hope.
30:46
After all,
30:47
faith,
30:49
hope,
30:49
and love
30:50
are the
30:51
primary
30:52
great
30:53
graces.
30:53
hope.
30:54
And yet,
30:55
there is no
30:56
mention of
30:57
hope,
30:58
the actual
30:59
word hope,
31:00
in the
31:01
context.
31:02
I'm going to
31:02
suggest to
31:03
you that
31:04
it is
31:04
implied.
31:05
for does
31:08
Paul not
31:09
write about
31:10
the means
31:11
through which
31:13
hope develops.
31:15
Therefore,
31:15
he says,
31:15
we ourselves
31:16
boast about
31:17
you in the
31:17
churches of
31:18
God for
31:19
your steadfastness
31:20
and faith
31:21
and all your
31:21
persecutions
31:22
and in the
31:23
afflictions
31:24
that you
31:25
are enduring.
31:26
If I can
31:27
momentarily
31:28
direct your
31:29
attention to
31:30
what Paul
31:30
has written
31:31
in the
31:32
fifth chapter
31:33
of his
31:33
letter to
31:34
the Romans,
31:36
suffering
31:36
produces
31:38
endurance.
31:40
Endurance
31:40
produces
31:41
character
31:42
and character
31:43
produces
31:45
hope.
31:46
Hope in
31:47
the Bible
31:47
often refers
31:48
to certainty,
31:51
to some
31:51
assurance of
31:52
what one
31:53
day will
31:54
be the
31:54
person of
31:55
the believer,
31:56
that which
31:57
has been
31:57
won by
31:58
Christ and
31:59
promised by
31:59
a God
32:00
who cannot
32:00
lie.
32:02
Character
32:03
means tested
32:04
or approved
32:05
and leads
32:06
to a more
32:07
resilient
32:08
hope.
32:10
Here then
32:10
is character
32:11
being produced
32:13
in Thessalonica
32:14
and character
32:16
as Paul has
32:17
written in the
32:17
letter to the
32:18
Romans,
32:18
produces hope.
32:20
For when
32:21
believers
32:22
share in
32:24
Christ's
32:25
sufferings,
32:26
it is further
32:27
evidence of
32:28
our security
32:29
in Christ.
32:31
hope is
32:34
implied.
32:35
And the
32:35
strange thing
32:36
is, where
32:37
you might
32:38
expect
32:39
persecution
32:40
and affliction
32:41
to suppress
32:42
the work of
32:43
the gospel,
32:44
it is quite
32:45
the reverse.
32:47
Not just
32:47
true of the
32:48
early New
32:49
Testament
32:49
churches,
32:51
but a
32:51
feature of
32:52
church life
32:53
throughout
32:54
history.
32:56
The gospel
32:57
tends to
32:58
flourish,
32:58
times of
33:00
affliction
33:00
and persecution.
33:02
No, no one
33:02
in his right
33:04
mind wants
33:05
affliction and
33:06
persecution.
33:08
But very
33:09
often, that
33:11
is the
33:11
condition in
33:13
which the
33:14
gospel flourishes.
33:17
A careful
33:18
reading of
33:18
Paul's letters
33:20
will tell you
33:21
that the
33:21
greatest threat
33:23
to vibrant
33:24
life in the
33:25
church is not
33:26
affliction or
33:27
persecution,
33:28
but false
33:29
teaching.
33:30
And it is
33:31
still the
33:32
greatest threat
33:33
to the
33:34
present hour.
33:35
Paul here is
33:36
boasting of
33:37
their resolute
33:38
stand in
33:40
the face of
33:40
trial.
33:43
The Lord
33:43
has not
33:44
abandoned
33:45
them, but
33:46
was proving
33:47
to them
33:47
what the
33:49
apostle
33:50
had
33:51
himself
33:52
come to
33:53
increasingly
33:54
value.
33:56
And what
33:56
had the
33:57
apostle come
33:58
to increasingly
33:59
value?
34:00
My grace,
34:01
says the
34:01
Lord, is
34:02
sufficient for
34:03
you, and
34:04
my power
34:05
is made
34:06
perfect in
34:08
weakness.
34:09
Now, the
34:10
apostle is not
34:11
so much boasting
34:12
in them, but
34:14
in what God
34:14
has done for
34:15
them, in
34:17
them, and
34:18
through them.
34:19
These
34:19
believers
34:20
were like
34:21
the man
34:22
who built
34:23
his house
34:24
on the
34:25
rock.
34:27
In the
34:27
parable that
34:28
Jesus tells,
34:29
they stood
34:30
firm in
34:31
the time
34:31
of testing.
34:33
And it
34:33
seems to
34:34
me that
34:34
their
34:35
example is
34:36
a real
34:37
challenge to
34:38
ourselves,
34:39
ought to
34:40
make us
34:41
ask ourselves,
34:42
where are
34:44
we tonight
34:44
spiritually?
34:47
Thanksgiving
34:48
in our
34:49
life, it
34:50
is an
34:50
obligation.
34:51
thanksgiving
34:53
for what?
34:54
For
34:55
answered
34:55
prayers,
34:57
primarily
34:57
for growth
34:58
in grace,
35:00
reason for
35:01
boasting,
35:02
resolute in
35:03
affliction and
35:03
persecution,
35:05
as a result
35:06
of what God
35:07
has done
35:08
for them,
35:09
in them,
35:11
and through
35:11
them.
35:12
Let us
35:13
pray.
35:15
O
35:15
eternal
35:16
God,
35:18
thou
35:18
art the
35:19
God of
35:19
miracle,
35:20
the God
35:23
of great
35:23
grace,
35:25
the God
35:26
who
35:26
transforms
35:27
barren,
35:31
unfruitful
35:32
lives,
35:33
and makes
35:34
them productive
35:35
through the
35:37
introduction of
35:38
thy grace
35:39
into their
35:41
hearts and
35:41
lives,
35:42
through the
35:43
ministry of
35:44
thy Holy
35:44
spirit,
35:46
in applying
35:47
the truth
35:48
of the
35:49
word to
35:50
them.
35:50
O grant,
35:51
most gracious
35:52
God,
35:53
that we
35:54
might be
35:55
encouraged
35:55
from thy
35:57
truth.
35:58
So often,
35:58
perhaps,
35:59
we may feel
36:00
discouraged,
36:02
may feel so
36:03
unproductive,
36:05
so lacking
36:06
in growth and
36:08
in maturity.
36:09
help us,
36:10
O Lord,
36:12
to see
36:12
growth in
36:13
all of
36:13
our lives,
36:14
and the
36:15
glory shall
36:15
be thine.
36:17
In Jesus'
36:18
name we
36:18
ask it.
36:19
Amen.
36:19
Amen.