Latest / truthunedited / 10 Powerful Messages That Will Transform You_ 1st Thessalonians EXPLAINED

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10 Powerful Messages That Will Transform You_ 1st Thessalonians EXPLAINED · truthunedited

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Have you ever felt the tension between waiting on God's
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  Speaker 1: promises and staying faithful in the present. Have you ever
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: wondered how to live a life that truly pleases God
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  Speaker 1: while facing pressure, distractions, and opposition. Have you ever thought
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: about what will happen when Jesus returns? The believers in
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Thessalonica wrestled with these very same questions. They were a
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  Speaker 1: young church, full of passion for Christ, but surrounded by opposition.
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  Speaker 1: Persecution was increasing, and they were suffering because of their faith.
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  Speaker 1: Some had lost loved ones and were unsure about what
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  Speaker 1: happened to them after death. Others were struggling to stay
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  Speaker 1: strong under the weight of trials, and many were eagerly
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  Speaker 1: waiting for Jesus to return, but did not know how
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  Speaker 1: to live in the meantime. Paul wrote first Thessalonians to
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  Speaker 1: encourage them, to remind them that their suffering was not
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  Speaker 1: in vain, that their faith was not forgotten, and that
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Jesus was coming back. His message to them was clear,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: stand firm, stay faithful, and never lose hope. And this
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  Speaker 1: message is just as relevant today because the truth is,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: we are living in a world that often feels like
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  Speaker 1: it is moving further from God. The pressures to compromise
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  Speaker 1: are everywhere. Fear, uncertainty, and trials can make us feel
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  Speaker 1: like giving up. But Paul's words remind us that faith
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  Speaker 1: is not just about believing, it is about how we live.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Hope is not just about the future, it is about
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  Speaker 1: standing strong today. And love is not just about words,
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  Speaker 1: it is about how we treat one another in every moment.
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  Speaker 1: In this video, we're going to break down ten of
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  Speaker 1: the most powerful lessons from First Thessalonians, lessons that will
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  Speaker 1: teach us how to endure trials, how to stay spiritually awake,
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  Speaker 1: and how to prepare for Christ's return. Because the truth is,
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  Speaker 1: many believers to day are exhausted. Some are barely holding
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  Speaker 1: on to their faith. Others have grown spiritually numb, going
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  Speaker 1: through the motions but lacking the fire they once had.
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  Speaker 1: And others are so overwhelmed by fear, stress, or uncertainty
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  Speaker 1: that they have forgotten what it means to stand with
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  Speaker 1: unshakable confidence in God's promises. So let me ask you.
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  Speaker 1: Have you ever felt like your faith was being tested
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  Speaker 1: in ways you never expected? Have you ever struggled to
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  Speaker 1: keep believing when life felt overwhelming? Have you ever thought
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  Speaker 1: about what it truly means to be ready for Christ's return,
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  Speaker 1: Because by the end of this video, you will not
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  Speaker 1: only understand First Thessalonians, you will understand how to live
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  Speaker 1: a life of faith, endurance, and unwavering hope no matter
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  Speaker 1: what comes your way. We have also created a complete
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  Speaker 1: explainer video on the book of First Thessalonians, breaking it
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  Speaker 1: down in a way that makes it easy to understand,
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  Speaker 1: and for those who want to go deeper in their study,
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  Speaker 1: we have put together a separate e book to help
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  Speaker 1: you apply these lessons to your daily life. Both are
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  Speaker 1: linked in the description below. It is our prayer that
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  Speaker 1: these deep Bible stories videos help you grow stronger in
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  Speaker 1: your faith and walk confidently in the hope that Jesus
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  Speaker 1: is coming again. With that being said, let's get started.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: The most important lesson we learn from the opening of
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  Speaker 1: First Thessalonians is that the Gospel is not just words,
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  Speaker 1: it is power. We just talked about standing firm in faith,
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  Speaker 1: enduring trials, and preparing for Christ's return, But before any
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  Speaker 1: of that matters, we must ask ourselves, has the Gospel
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  Speaker 1: truly taken root in our hearts? Because Paul makes it
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  Speaker 1: clear in First Thessalonians one five that the message of
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  Speaker 1: Jesus is not just an intellectual belief or a set
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  Speaker 1: of religious ideas. It is a force that changes everything
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  Speaker 1: about a person's life. Paul writes, our Gospel came to
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  Speaker 1: you not simply with words, but also with power, with
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  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. Think about that. The
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  Speaker 1: Gospel is not just information. It is transformation. It is
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  Speaker 1: the power of God that moves into a person's life
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  Speaker 1: and turns everything upside down, not just externally but from
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  Speaker 1: the inside out. Too many people to day treat the
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  Speaker 1: Gospel like a philosophy, like a set of moral guidelines,
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  Speaker 1: or like an inspiring message. They think being a Christian
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  Speaker 1: is about believing in Jesus in the same way someone
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  Speaker 1: might believe in a historical figure. But true faith is
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  Speaker 1: more than agreement. It is surrender. Look at the Thessalonian believers.
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  Speaker 1: When Paul and his team preached to them, something supernatural happened.
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  Speaker 1: They did not just listen, nod their heads, and go
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  Speaker 1: back to their old lives. No, the Gospel came with
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  Speaker 1: power and it changed them completely. They turned away from idols.
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  Speaker 1: Their whole way of living shifted, and they became bold
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  Speaker 1: in their faith, even under persecution. They refused to go back,
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  Speaker 1: because when the Gospel is real in your life, you
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  Speaker 1: cannot stay the same. This is what happened throughout the
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  Speaker 1: New Testament. Everywhere the Gospel was preached, lives were radically transformed.
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  Speaker 1: In Acts two, when Peter preached at Pentecost, the people
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  Speaker 1: were cut to the heart and cried out, what shall
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  Speaker 1: we do? That is conviction, that is the Holy Spirit
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  Speaker 1: bringing the Gospel with power. In Acts nine, Paul himself,
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  Speaker 1: who had been a violent persecutor of Christians, was completely
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  Speaker 1: undone when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus.
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  Speaker 1: In one moment, he went from hunting down believers to
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  Speaker 1: preaching Christ that is power. And yet today so many
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  Speaker 1: people hear the Gospel but are never changed. Jesus spoke
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  Speaker 1: about this in the Parable of the Sour Matthew thirteen.
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  Speaker 1: He said that the seed of the Word falls on
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  Speaker 1: different types of ground. Some people hear it but forget
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  Speaker 1: it immediately. Others receive it with joy, but when trials
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  Speaker 1: come they fall away. Still others are distracted by the world,
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  Speaker 1: and the Gospel never bears fruit in their lives. But
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  Speaker 1: then there are those who hear the Gospel, and it
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  Speaker 1: takes root, It grows, it transforms. So here is the
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  Speaker 1: question we must ask ourselves, has the Gospel truly taken
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  Speaker 1: root in me? Because the power of the Gospel is
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  Speaker 1: not just about a one time moment where we say
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  Speaker 1: a prayer and accept Jesus. It is about an ongoing transformation,
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  Speaker 1: a fire that continues to grow inside of us. The
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  Speaker 1: Thessalonians proved their faith was real because their lives bore
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  Speaker 1: evidence of it. Paul says in First Thessalonians one sixth,
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  Speaker 1: you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for
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  Speaker 1: you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering
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  Speaker 1: with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. Think about that.
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  Speaker 1: They did not just believe in Jesus. They became imitators
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  Speaker 1: of him. They lived differently, they loved differently. Even when
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  Speaker 1: they suffered, they had joy that could not be explained
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  Speaker 1: apart from the Holy Spirit. That is the sign of real,
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  Speaker 1: supernatural faith. So now ask yourself, what evidence is there
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  Speaker 1: that the Gospel has truly taken root in your life?
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  Speaker 1: Does your life look different than it did before you
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  Speaker 1: knew Christ. Do you have a hunger for the things
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  Speaker 1: of God, Or do you find yourself drifting back into
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  Speaker 1: old patterns. Do you feel the conviction of the Holy
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  Speaker 1: Spirit when you sin or have you grown numb to it?
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  Speaker 1: Are you imitating Christ or are you more influenced by
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  Speaker 1: the world. Because here is the reality. If the Gospel
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  Speaker 1: has truly come into your life with power, you cannot
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  Speaker 1: remain the same. It does not mean you will be perfect,
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  Speaker 1: but it does mean that there will be a noticeable,
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  Speaker 1: undeniable change in how you think, how you love, how
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  Speaker 1: you respond to trials, and how you live. Maybe right
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  Speaker 1: now you are realizing that your faith has been more
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  Speaker 1: of an intellectual belief than a life altering encounter. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: you have said all the right words but have never
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  Speaker 1: actually experienced the power of God transforming you from the
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  Speaker 1: inside out. If that is you, do not ignore it.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: This is your moment. The Gospel is not just a message,
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  Speaker 1: It is an invitation. Jesus is not calling you to
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  Speaker 1: agree with him. He is calling you to follow him,
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  Speaker 1: to surrender, to allow him to do the deep work
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  Speaker 1: of transformation that only he can do. So to day,
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  Speaker 1: take a moment to pray and ask God to awaken
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  Speaker 1: his power in you. Ask Him to make the Gospel
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  Speaker 1: reel in your life. If you have been drifting, ask
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  Speaker 1: him to rekindle your fire. If you have been numb,
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  Speaker 1: ask him to break through. If you have been holding
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  Speaker 1: on to parts of your life instead of fully surrendering,
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  Speaker 1: lay them down to day. Because when the Gospel comes
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  Speaker 1: in power, everything changes. The most important lesson we learn
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  Speaker 1: from the Gospel's transforming power is that it calls us
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  Speaker 1: to imitate Christ, not the world. We just saw how
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  Speaker 1: the message of Jesus is not just wordords it is power.
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  Speaker 1: But when that power enters our lives, it must produce
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  Speaker 1: something in us. It must shape how we live, how
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  Speaker 1: we think, and how we respond to the world around us.
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: Paul says in First Thessalonians one six to seven, you
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  Speaker 1: became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you
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  Speaker 1: welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with
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  Speaker 1: the joy given by the Holy Spirit, and so you
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  Speaker 1: became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and
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  Speaker 1: a caiah. Think about that. These new believers in Thessalonica
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  Speaker 1: did not just believe the gospel. They became imitators of Christ.
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  Speaker 1: And not only that, but they became a model for others.
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  Speaker 1: They lived in such a way that their faith was visible, undeniable,
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  Speaker 1: and inspiring to those around them. But what does that
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  Speaker 1: actually look like? In today's world, we are constantly surrounded
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  Speaker 1: by influences that shape the way we think and live.
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  Speaker 1: From social media to entertainment to culture's ever changing standards.
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  Speaker 1: There is always something trying to mold us, and whether
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  Speaker 1: we realize it or not, we are always imitating something.
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  Speaker 1: The question is who are we imitating. The Thessalonian believers
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  Speaker 1: were living in a society that was completely opposed to Christianity.
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  Speaker 1: The Roman world was filled with idle worship, immorality, and
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  Speaker 1: a culture that had no interest in God's truth. In
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  Speaker 1: many ways, it was like to day. They could have
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  Speaker 1: blended in, lived quietly, and avoided trouble, but instead they
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  Speaker 1: chose to stand out. And here is what is incredible.
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  Speaker 1: They were not just imitating Christ in easy circumstances. They
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  Speaker 1: were imitating Him in suffering. A specifically says they welcome
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  Speaker 1: the message in the midst of severe suffering with a
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  Speaker 1: joy given by the Holy Spirit. That is what made
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  Speaker 1: their faith so powerful. They were not just following Christ
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  Speaker 1: when it was convenient, They were following him when it
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  Speaker 1: cost them something. This is the difference between real discipleship
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  Speaker 1: and shallow faith. Many people are willing to follow Jesus
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  Speaker 1: as long as it does not require too much change.
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  Speaker 1: They want the benefits of Christianity, peace, forgiveness, eternal life,
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  Speaker 1: but they do not want the cost of following Christ.
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  Speaker 1: They want to claim his name but still blend in
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  Speaker 1: with the world. But Jesus never called us to blend in.
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  Speaker 1: He called us to stand out. Jesus himself said in
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  Speaker 1: John fifteen eighteen to nineteen, if the world hates you,
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  Speaker 1: keep in mind that it hated me first. If you
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  Speaker 1: belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
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  Speaker 1: As it is. You do not belong to the world,
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  Speaker 1: But I have chosen you out of the world. That
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  Speaker 1: is why the world hates you. To imitate Christ means
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  Speaker 1: we will live in a way that is different, so
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  Speaker 1: different that the world may not understand us. Look at
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  Speaker 1: the lives of the early disciples. Peter, John, James and
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  Speaker 1: the rest did not simply believe in Jesus. They followed
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  Speaker 1: him to the point of persecution, imprisonment, and even death.
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  Speaker 1: Why because they knew that their lives were meant to
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  Speaker 1: reflect their Savior. So what does this mean for us
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  Speaker 1: to day? It means we need to seriously examine how
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  Speaker 1: much of our lives are shaped by Christ and how
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  Speaker 1: much is shaped by the world. Ask yourself, do I
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  Speaker 1: talk like the world or does my speech reflect Christ?
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  Speaker 1: Do I react to problems with fear and anger like
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  Speaker 1: the world, or do I respond with faith and peace?
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  Speaker 1: Do I pursue success and pleasure like the world, or
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  Speaker 1: do I seek first the Kingdom of God? Do I
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  Speaker 1: live in a way that people can tell I am different,
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  Speaker 1: not because I am religious, but because I look more
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  Speaker 1: like Jesus, Because here is the truth people are watching.
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  Speaker 1: Just like the Thessalonian believers became a model to others,
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  Speaker 1: our lives should be a living testimony. Your co workers,
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  Speaker 1: your classmates, your family. They see the way you live.
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  Speaker 1: They notice if your faith is real or if it
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  Speaker 1: is just something you claim. On Sundays, Paul said in
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  Speaker 1: Ephesians five to one be imitators of God as dearly
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  Speaker 1: loved children. Children naturally imitate their parents. They pick up
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  Speaker 1: on habits, mannerisms, and even the way their parents speak.
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  Speaker 1: In the same way, when we walk closely with God,
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  Speaker 1: we should naturally start looking more like him. But imitation
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  Speaker 1: is not passive. It is a choice. Every day, we
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  Speaker 1: choose who we will imitate Christ or the world. And
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: here is the key. Imitating Christ is not about just
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  Speaker 1: avoiding sin. It is about actively pursuing him. Too often
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  Speaker 1: we think following Jesus is just about what we do
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  Speaker 1: not do. We do not lie, we do not steal,
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  Speaker 1: we do not curse, we do not do this or that.
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  Speaker 1: And while holiness is important, true discipleship is not just
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  Speaker 1: about what we avoid. It is about what we become.
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  Speaker 1: We become people of love even when others are difficult.
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  Speaker 1: We become people of joy even in suffering. We become
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  Speaker 1: people of faith even when things do not make sense.
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  Speaker 1: We become people of hope even in the darkest times.
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  Speaker 1: And the only way to do this is by staying
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  Speaker 1: close to Jesus. You cannot imitate someone you do not
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  Speaker 1: spend time with. If we want to reflect Christ, we
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  Speaker 1: need to be in his word daily. We need to
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  Speaker 1: spend time in We need to walk in community with
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  Speaker 1: other believers who encourage us and hold us accountable. The
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  Speaker 1: Thessalonians were surrounded by a culture that was against them,
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  Speaker 1: but they stayed strong because they stayed connected to Christ
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  Speaker 1: and to each other. So to day ask yourself, who
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  Speaker 1: am I imitating? Do I look more like Christ or
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  Speaker 1: more like the world. If someone watched my life for
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  Speaker 1: a week, would they see Jesus in me? If you
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  Speaker 1: realize to day that you have been blending in more
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  Speaker 1: than standing out, do not let that discourage you. Let
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  Speaker 1: it wake you up. This is an opportunity to refocus,
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  Speaker 1: to recommit, to start fresh, because the world does not
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  Speaker 1: need more people who look like everyone else. It needs
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  Speaker 1: more people who look like Jesus. The most important lesson
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  Speaker 1: we learn from imitating Christ is that our lives must
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  Speaker 1: be lived to please God, not people. We just talked
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  Speaker 1: about how true discipleship is not about blending in with
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  Speaker 1: the world, but about actively becoming more like Jesus. But
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  Speaker 1: here is the challenge. When you start living for Christ,
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  Speaker 1: people will not always approve. In fact, sometimes the very
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  Speaker 1: people you care about the most will misunderstand you, criticize you,
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  Speaker 1: or even reject you for your faith. Paul addresses this
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  Speaker 1: directly in First Thessalonians two four, where he says we
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  Speaker 1: are not trying to please people, but God, who tests
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  Speaker 1: our hearts. This is a radical statement because let's be
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  Speaker 1: honest people. Pleasing is a real struggle. We all want
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  Speaker 1: to be accepted. We all want to be liked. Nobody
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  Speaker 1: enjoys being criticized or left out. But when our desire
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  Speaker 1: for approval becomes greater than our desire for obedience, we
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  Speaker 1: end up compromising our faith. That This is exactly what
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  Speaker 1: happened to Saul in First Samuel fifteen. God had given
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  Speaker 1: him clear instructions to completely destroy the Amalekites and all
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  Speaker 1: they owned, But instead of fully obeying, Saul spared the
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  Speaker 1: best of the livestock and even kept their king alive.
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  Speaker 1: When confronted by the prophet Samuel, Saul admitted why he disobeyed.
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  Speaker 1: He said, I was afraid of the men, and so
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  Speaker 1: I gave in to them First Samuel fifteen twenty four.
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  Speaker 1: Did you catch that fear of people led him to
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  Speaker 1: disobey God, and as a result, he lost everything. This
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  Speaker 1: is the danger of living for approval. It weakens our faith,
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  Speaker 1: distorts our priorities, and leads us away from God's will.
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  Speaker 1: Now let's bring this into to day's world. How often
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  Speaker 1: do we hesitate to speak up about our faith because
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  Speaker 1: we are afraid of what people will think? How often
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  Speaker 1: do we stay silent about biblio truth because we do
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  Speaker 1: not want to offend anyone? How often do we make
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  Speaker 1: decisions not based on what is right, but based on
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  Speaker 1: what will make people like us more? People pleasing is subtle.
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  Speaker 1: It disguises itself as kindness, as keeping the peace, as
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  Speaker 1: being open minded, but underneath it is often rooted in fear.
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  Speaker 1: Fear of rejection, fear of being labeled, fear of standing alone.
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  Speaker 1: But Jesus made it clear that following him would never
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  Speaker 1: be about popularity. He said in John fifteen nineteen, if
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: you belonged to the world, it would love you as
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  Speaker 1: its own. As it is. You do not belong to
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  Speaker 1: the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
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  Speaker 1: That is why the world hates you. Let that sink in.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus did not say if the world rejects you, he
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  Speaker 1: said when Paul understood this well in Galatians one ten,
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  Speaker 1: he wrote, am I now trying to win the approval
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  Speaker 1: of human beings? Or of God? Or am I trying
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  Speaker 1: to please people? If I were still trying to please people,
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: I would not be a servant of Christ. That last
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: sentence is powerful. If we are controlled by people's opinions,
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  Speaker 1: we cannot fully serve Christ. The Thessalonian believers had to
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: make a choice. They were being persecuted for their faith,
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: pressured to go back to their old ways, but instead
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: of caving to the culture, they stood firm. They chose
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: to seek God's approval over the world's acceptance. And now
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  Speaker 1: we must ask ourselves are we doing the same, Because
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: here is the truth. The cost of people pleasing is
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  Speaker 1: too high. If you live for people's approval, you will
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  Speaker 1: never live in God's calling. If you compromise your convictions
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: to fit in, you will never walk in God's power.
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  Speaker 1: If you fear rejection more than disobedience, you will never
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: fulfill your purpose. But when you choose to live for
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: God first, everything changes. Danielle was thrown into the lion's
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  Speaker 1: den because he refused to stop praying, but he chose
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  Speaker 1: God's approval over the king's decree. Shadraq, Mishak, and Abednego
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  Speaker 1: were thrown into the fire because they refused to bow,
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  Speaker 1: but they chose faithfulness over fear. Peter and John were
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  Speaker 1: beaten for preaching the gospel, but they declared, we must
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  Speaker 1: obey God rather than human beings. Acts five twenty nine.
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  Speaker 1: These men understood something we often forget. The opinions of
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  Speaker 1: people are temporary, but God's approval lasts forever. Now, this
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: does not mean we live arrogantly or with a rebellious spirit.
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: It does not mean we stop caring about others or
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: ignore wise counsel. But it does mean that God's voice
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: must always be the loudest in our lives. So how
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: do we break free from the trap of people pleasing?
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: First we must shift our focus. The more we focus
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: on what people think, the more we will compromise. But
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: the more we focus on Christ, the less their opinions
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: will control us. Colossians three, Colon two says, set your
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: minds on things above, not on earthly things. Second, we
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: must ask ourselves tough questions. Every time we are faced
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: with a decision. We should ask, am I doing this
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: to honor God? Or just to impress people? Am I
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: afraid of standing out? Or am I willing to be different?
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: For Christ? If no one applauded me for my faith?
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: Would I still follow Jesus the same way? Third, we
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: must trust that God's rewards are greater than human approval.
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: Jesus said in Matthew six', four that when we live
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: For god in, secret Your, father who sees what is
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: done in, secret will reward. You what he gives is
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: better than any praise this world can. Offer so to,
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: day be honest with. Yourself have you been more concerned
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: with what people think than with What god? Thinks have
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: you hesitated to live out your faith boldly because of?
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: Fear have you made choices based on popularity rather than.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: Truth if, so this is your wake up, call because
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: at the end of your, life you will not stand before.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: People you will stand Before, god and in that, moment
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: the only words that will matter are well, done my
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: good and faithful. Servant the most important lesson we learn
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: from Seeking god's approval over people's is that our faith
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: is not meant to stay the. Same it is meant to,
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: grow even in. Trials we just talked about how the
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: fear of rejection can weaken our, faith but now we
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: must face another. Reality our faith will be, tested and
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: those tests are not meant to destroy. Us they are
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: meant to strengthen. Us paul tells The, thessalonians and First
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: thessalonians three, three two to, four we Sent timothy to
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: strengthen and encourage. You in your, faith so that no
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: one would be unsettled by these, trials for you know
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: quite well that we are destined for. Them in, fact
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: when we were with, you we kept telling you that
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: we would be, persecuted and it turned out that, way
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: as you well. Know did you catch? That paul says
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: trials are not an, Accident they are part of the.
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: Journey he even says we are destined for. Them that
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: is not the message most of us want to, hear
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: but it is the truth we need to, hear because too,
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: often when hard times, come people assume That god has abandoned,
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: them that their faith is, failing or that they must
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: have done something. Wrong but what if trials are actually
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: proof That god is at. Work this is a reality
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: found throughout. Scripture james one two three tells us consider
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: it pure, joy my brothers and, sisters whenever you face
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: trials of many, kinds because you know that the testing
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: of your faith produces. Perseverance romans five three to four
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: says we also glory in our sufferings because we know
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: that suffering produces, perseverance, perseverance, character and character. Hope And
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: jesus himself said In john sixteen thirty. Three in this
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: world you will have, Trouble but take, HEART i have
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: overcome the. World nowhere in The bible Does god promise
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: a life free of. Suffering but what he does promise
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: is That he will use every trial to grow our,
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: faith refine our, character and prepare us for something. Greater
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: look at The thessalonian. Believers they were a young, church
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: only recently converted To. Christianity they could have been easily.
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: Discouraged they could have given up the moment they faced.
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: Opposition but instead they stirred. Firm why because their faith was.
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: Growing and here is what we must. Understand faith that
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: is never tested is faith that never. Grows imagine someone
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: who wants to get stronger. Physically they do not get
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: stronger by sitting on the couch all. Day they get
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: stronger by pushing through, resistance by lifting heavier, weights by running,
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: farther by stretching their. Limits without, resistance there is no.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: Growth the same is true for. Faith if we only
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: Trust god when life is, easy our faith is. Weak
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: if we only pray when we feel like, it our
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: faith is. Shallow if we only worship when things are
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: going on, way our faith is. Conditional but when we
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: walk through fire and still hold on To, god our
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: faith becomes. Unshakable think about some of the strongest believers
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: in The. Bible joseph spent years as a slave and
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: in prison before stepping into His god given. Destiny moses
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: endured rejection and spent decades in the wilderness before Leading
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: israel to. Freedom david was anointed as, king but had
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: to run for his life for years before taking the.
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: Throne peter was sifted like, wheat Denying jesus three times
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: before becoming a rock of the Early. Church every one
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: of them had to go through something before they could
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: step into What god had for. Them and here is
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: where many people go. Wrong when trials. Come they either
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: run away From god or try to run away from the.
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: Trial they Want god to remove the difficulty. Immediately they
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: Pray god take this, away instead Of, god teach me through.
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: This but what If god does not want to remove
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: the trial just. Yet what if instead of rescuing us
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: from the, fire he wants to refine us through. It
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: what if instead of making life, easier he wants to
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: make us. Stronger look At daniel's three, Friends, Shadrak, mishak
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: and a Bed. Nigo when they refused to bow to
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: the king's. Idol they were thrown into the, fire But
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: god did not remove them from the. Fire he walked
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: with them in, it and when they came, out not
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: a single hair on their heads was. Burned Sometimes god
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: will allow you to go through the fire not to burn,
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: you but to purify. You so what trial are you
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: facing right? Now is it financial, hardship a health, battle
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: rejection from, people delays in your prayers being. Answered instead
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: of Asking, god why is this? Happening Ask, god how
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: are you growing me through? This because here is WHAT
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: i can promise. You if you do not, quit you
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: will come out. Stronger the enemy's goal is to use
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: your trials to break, you But god's goal is to
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: use them to build. You so to DAY i challenge,
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: you stop resisting the. Process embrace What god is. Doing
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: trust That he is using this for your. Good hold
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: on To him tighter than ever, before because when this
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: trial is, over your faith will not be, weaker it
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: will be. Unshakable the most important lesson we learn from
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: the trials that strengthen our faith is that true faith
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: must be reflected in the way we. Live it is
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: not enough to endure. Hardships if our lives do not Honor,
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: god it is not enough to claim faith while still
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: clinging to the desires of the. World pull makes it
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: clear In First thessalonians four one to five that a
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: life of faith is a life of, holiness not in
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: a life egoistic, way but as a response to the
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: love and power Of god in. Us he, writes we
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: instructed you how to live in order to Please, god
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: as in fact you are living. Now we ask you
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: and urge, you in The Lord, jesus to do this
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: more and, more for you know what instructions we gave,
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: you by the authority of The Lord. Jesus it Is
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: god's will that you should be, sanctified that you should
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: avoid sexual, immorality that each of you should learn to
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: control your own body in a way that is holy and,
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: honorable not in passionate. Lust like the pagans who do
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: not Know. God notice the urgency In paul's. Words he
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: is urging them to continue growing in. Holiness he is
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: not giving them a list of rules for the sake of.
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: Rules he is reminding them that their lives must reflect their,
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: faith and this is where many believe to day get
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: Stuck there are those who think holiness is, legalism a
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: set of outdated rules meant to restrict. Freedom and there
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: are those who think holiness is, optional something only for
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: super spiritual people but not necessary for. Everyone But paul
• 31:18
  Speaker 1: does not present holiness as an. Option he, says it
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: Is god's will that you should be. Sanctified this means
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: holiness is not about following religious. Rules it is about
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: aligning our lives with the heart Of. God think about
• 31:34
  Speaker 1: it this. Way if you truly love, someone does it
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: feel like a burden to honor. Them if a husband
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: loves his, wife he does not see faithfulness as a.
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: Restriction he sees it as a natural response to. Love
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: if a child loves their, parents they do not see
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: obedience as a. Burden they see it as a way
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: to show. Respect in the same, way holiness is not about.
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: Restriction it is about. Relationship this is Why paul contrasts
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: holiness with the way the world. Lives he, says not
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: in passionate, lust like the pagans who do not Know.
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: God this is a key. Point the reason the world
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: lives for its own desires is because it does not Know.
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: God but we. Do so why would we who Know
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: god still live like those who do. Not this is
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: the battle every believer, faces the battle between living For
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: god and being controlled by our own. Desires paul talks
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: about this battle In galatians five sixteen to, seventeen, saying
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: walk by the, spirit and you will not gratify the
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: desires of the. Flesh for the flesh desires what is
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: contrary to the, spirit and the spirit what is contrary
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: to the. Flesh they are in conflict with each. Other
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: this means every day we have a. Choice we can
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: live according to our, flesh giving in to whatever, desires,
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: temptations and impulses come our. Way or we can live
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: according to the, spirit surrendering our lives To god and
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: allowing him to shape us into the image Of. Christ
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: but here is the. Challenge our flesh will always resist.
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: Holiness it will always try to convince us that purity is,
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: unnecessary that righteousness is too, difficult that sin is not
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: a big. Deal but the reality is sin always takes
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: more than it. Gives it promises pleasure but leads to.
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: Pain it promises freedom but leads to. Bondage it promises
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: fulfillment but leaves us. Empty this is Why god calls
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: us to, holiness not to restrict, us but to protect.
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: Us look at the world to. Day look at the
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: brokenness caused by. Sin look at how lust destroys. Relaylationships
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: look at how selfishness ruins. Marriages look at how greed hardens.
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: Hearts look at how addiction steals. Joy god does not
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: call us to holiness because he wants to take something
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: good away from. Us he calls us to holiness Because
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: he has something better for. Us and holiness is not
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: just about avoiding. Sin it is about actively Pursuing. Christ
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: paul Tells timothy and Two timothy two twenty, two flee
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: from the evil desires of youth and pursue, righteousness, faith,
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: love and. Peace holiness is not just about what we run,
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: From it is about what we run. Toward so how
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: do we live a life that Honors god in a
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: world that constantly pulls us in the opposite. Direction first
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: we must be. Intentional holiness does not happen by. Accident
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: no one drifts into. Righteousness if we are not actively Pursuing,
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: god we will naturally drift toward the ways of the. World,
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: second we must guard our. Hearts what we consume shapes
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: what we, desire the, music we listen, to the, shows we,
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: watch the people we spend time. With all of it
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: influences our minds and. Hearts proverbs four twenty three, says
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: above all, else guard your, heart for everything you do
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: flows from. It, third we must rely On god's, strength
• 35:33
  Speaker 1: not our. Own if we try to live holy lives
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: by sheer will, power we will. Fail but when we
• 35:40
  Speaker 1: stay connected To jesus through, prayer through The, word through,
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: community we are strengthened By his. Spirit jesus said In john, Fifteen. Coln,
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: Five apart from, me you can do, Nothing so to,
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: day take a moment to. Reflect are their areas in
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: your life where you have been compromising instead of Honoring.
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: God have you been treating holiness as a burden instead
• 36:07
  Speaker 1: of a? Privilege is there Something god is asking you
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: to surrender so you can walk closer With? Him because
• 36:15
  Speaker 1: the truth is your life is meant to Reflect, christ
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: and when you truly Know, him holiness is not something
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: you have to, do it is something you want to.
• 36:26
  Speaker 1: Do the most important lesson we learn from living a
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: life that Honors god is that our faith is meaningless
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: if it is not built on. Love holiness is not
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: just about personal. Righteousness it is about how we treat.
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: Others it is easy to focus on avoiding, sin on staying,
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: pure on walking in. Integrity But paul reminds us In
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: First thessalonians four nine through ten that the true mark
• 36:53
  Speaker 1: of A christian is how deeply we. Love he, writes
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: now about your love for one. Another we do not
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: need to write to, you for you yourselves have been
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: taught By god to love each, other and in fact
• 37:08
  Speaker 1: you do love all Of god's family Throughout. Macedonia yet
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: we urge, you brothers and sisters to do so more and.
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: More paul is saying you are already loving, well but
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: do it even. More because love is not something we,
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: Achieve it is something we continually grow. In and yet
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: if we are, honest love is one of the hardest
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: things to live. Out it is easy to love people
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: when they are, kind when they agree with, us when
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: they treat us. Well but true love is tested when
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: people disappoint, us offend, us or hurt. Us this is
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: Why jesus did not just say love your. Friends he
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: said love your, Enemies pray for those who persecute You
• 37:52
  Speaker 1: matthew five forty. Four he did not say love those
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: who deserve. It he, said love one another AS i
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: have loved, You john thirteen thirty. Four that last part is,
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: key AS i have loved. You how Did jesus love?
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: Us he loved us when we were still Sinners romans five.
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: Eight he forgave us when we did not deserve It
• 38:15
  Speaker 1: luke twenty three thirty. Four he served others even when
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: he was tired and Drained mark six thirty. Four he
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: laid down his life for people who betrayed Him john fifteen.
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: Thirteen that is the kind of love we are called,
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: to not, shallow, convenient self serving, love but, deep, sacrificial
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: christ like. Love this is what sets believers apart from the.
• 38:40
  Speaker 1: World jesus said In john thirteen thirty. Five by, this
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: everyone will know that you are my disciples if you
• 38:48
  Speaker 1: love one, another not by how Many bible verses we,
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: know not by how often we go to, church not
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: by how much we, serve by how we. Love and
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: this is where many of us. Struggle we think love
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: is a, feeling But biblical love is not based on.
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: Emotions it is based on a. Decision it is deciding
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: to forgive even when we are still. Hurting it is
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: deciding to be kind even when we are. Irritated it
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: is deciding to serve even when no one. Notices it
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: is deciding to put others, first even when it costs us.
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: Something look at How jesus. Lived he washed the feet
• 39:30
  Speaker 1: of his, disciples Even judas who would betray. Him he
• 39:33
  Speaker 1: healed the ear of the very soldier who came to arrest.
• 39:36
  Speaker 1: Him he cried out For god to forgive the people
• 39:39
  Speaker 1: who nailed him to a. Cross this is the love
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: we are called. To but let's be. Honest it is
• 39:46
  Speaker 1: not easy because love requires, Sacrifice it requires, humility it
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: requires dying to. Self and that is why many people
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: settle for a lesser version of. Love a love that
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: only gives when it gets some in, return a love
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: that is easily, offended a love that holds, grudges a
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: love that is. Conditional but that is not the love Of.
• 40:09
  Speaker 1: Christ First corinthians thirteen tells us exactly what love looks.
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: Like love is. Patient love is. Kind it does not,
• 40:19
  Speaker 1: Envy it does not. Boast it is not. Proud it
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: is not. Rude it is not self. Seeking it is
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: not easily. Angered it keeps no record of. Wrongs love
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: never fails so let's ask. Ourselves is this the kind
• 40:33
  Speaker 1: of LOVE i show in my daily? Life when someone
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: cuts me off in? Traffic AM i? Patient when someone hurts?
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: Me DO i keep a record of? Wrongs WHEN i
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: see someone in, need DO i help them without expecting anything?
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: Back WHEN i disagree with, someone DO i treat them with?
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: Kindness or DO i let pride take? Over because love
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: is not about, words it is about. Action One john
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: three eighteen, says dear, children let us not love with
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: words or, speech but with actions and in. Truth love
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: is not proven in what we. Say it is proven
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: in what we. Do and love is not just something
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: we show to the people closest to. Us paul said
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: The thessalonians were loving all Of god's. Family that means
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: love for the difficult church, member love for the neighbor
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: who annoys, you love for the family member who has hurt,
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: You love for the, stranger the, broken the. Overlooked this
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: is Why paul tells them do this more and, more
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: because we will never reach a point where we love.
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: Enough there will always be more opportunities to, grow more
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: ways to show, grace more people to. Serve so, today
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: take a moment and ask who in my? Life HAVE
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: i struggled to? Love is there SOMEONE i need to?
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: Forgive how CAN i actively love people to, day not
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: just in, words but in. Action because at the end
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: of our, lives when we stand Before, god the measure
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: of our faith will not be how much we, knew
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: but how much we. Loved if we love, deeply we
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: will long for the day when all things are made,
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: new when suffering, ends when faith becomes. Sight this is
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: Why paul shifts The thessalonian's focus In First thessalonians four
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: thirteen to eighteen to the return Of. Christ he, writes
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: brothers and, sisters we do not want you to be
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: uninformed about those who sleep in, death so that you
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no.
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: Hope for we believe That jesus died and rose, again
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: and so we believe That god will bring With jesus
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: those who have fallen asleep in. Him paul is addressing
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: a deep concern within The thessalonian. Church they had lost loved,
• 42:58
  Speaker 1: ones and they were, afraid afraid they would never see them,
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: again afraid they had missed the second coming Of. Christ
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: there was, confusion, uncertainty even fear about what happens after,
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: death And paul's response is, powerful do not grieve like
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: those who have no, hope because that is the difference
• 43:19
  Speaker 1: between believers and the. World the world grieves death as
• 43:24
  Speaker 1: a final, ending but for those In, christ death is
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: not the. End it is the beginning of. Eternity think
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: about that for a. Moment the greatest fear that exists
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: in humanity is the fear of. Death people avoid thinking about.
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: It they do everything to prolong. Life they chase after,
• 43:47
  Speaker 1: youth success and, security all in an attempt to escape
• 43:51
  Speaker 1: the reality of, mortality but poorly, saying you do not
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: have to fear death Because jesus conquered. It this is
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: why The turn Of christ is not meant to create.
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: Fear it is meant to give us. Confidence paul, continues
• 44:07
  Speaker 1: for The lord himself will come down from heaven with
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: a loud, command with the voice of the archangel and
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: with the trumpet call Of, god and the dead In
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: christ will rise. First after, that we who are still
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: alive and are left will be caught up together with
• 44:24
  Speaker 1: them in the clouds to meet The lord in the.
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: Air and so we will be with The lord. Forever,
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: therefore encourage one another with these. Words encourage one. Another
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: that is the. Key paul is not teaching this so
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: believers will live in panic or. Speculation he is teaching
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: it so they will live in. Peace but to, day
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: Many christians react to the return Of christ in one
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: of two unhealthy. Ways some fall into, fear constantly worried
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: about the end, times always on edge about world, events
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: afraid of being left. Behind they see every crisis as
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: a doomsday warning and live in anxiety rather than. Anticipation
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: others fall into, obsession treating prophecy like a puzzle to be,
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: solved calculating, dates looking for hidden, signs arguing over time.
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: Lines their focus becomes more about speculation than about spiritual.
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: Preparation But paul is not calling us to fear or.
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: Obsession he is calling us to. Expectation he is, saying
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: live with, hope live with, Confidence live with the assurance
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: that no matter what happens in this, World christ is coming,
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: again and that is the best news we could ever.
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: Have jesus himself spoke of his return In john fourteen
• 45:47
  Speaker 1: one through, three, saying do not let your hearts be.
• 45:50
  Speaker 1: Troubled you believe In, god believe also in. Me my
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: father's house has many. Rooms if that were not, so
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: WOULD i have told you THAT i am going there
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: to prepare a place for. You and IF i go
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: and prepare a place for, YOU i will come back
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: and take you to be with me that you also
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: may be WHERE i am. Again notice the, theme do
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: not be. Troubled this is not a message of, dread
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: but a message of. Joy but here is the. Challenge
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: are we actually living in expectation Of christ's? Return because
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: it is easy to Say jesus is coming back some,
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: Day but does that belief change the way we live right?
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: Now if we truly Believed jesus could return at any,
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: moment would we hold onto? Grudges would we waste time
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: chasing after things that do not? Matter would we hesitate
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: to share the gospel with those who need to hear.
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: It the reality Of christ's return is meant to motivate
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: us to live with, urgency with, purpose with. Holiness jesus
• 46:57
  Speaker 1: gives a parable In matthew twenty five about ten bridesmaids
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: waiting for the arrival of the. Bridegroom five were, wise
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: they had their lamps filled with oil ready for when he,
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: Came but five were. Foolish they were not, prepared and
• 47:15
  Speaker 1: when the bridegroom finally, arrived the foolish ones were locked.
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: Out jesus ends the parable with a powerful. Warning, therefore keep,
• 47:24
  Speaker 1: watch because you do not know the day or the.
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: Hour this is Why paul teaches about the return Of,
• 47:32
  Speaker 1: christ not so we will live in, fear but so
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: we will live in. Readiness because here is the. Truth
• 47:39
  Speaker 1: if you are In, christ you do not have to be.
• 47:42
  Speaker 1: Afraid if you belong To, him you are already. Ready
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: if your faith is In, jesus you are already. Secure
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: if your hope is in, eternity you have nothing to.
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: Lose but if your life is still focused on the
• 47:57
  Speaker 1: things of this, world if your faith is, weak if
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: your heart is, distracted if you are not walking closely With,
• 48:04
  Speaker 1: god then this is your wake up. Call because Whether
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: jesus returns in our lifetime or, not our time on
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: this earth is, short and when we stand before, him
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: the only thing that will matter is whether we lived for.
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: Him so to, day ask, yourself AM i living with
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: hope or with? Fear AM i preparing my heart For christ's?
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: Return or AM i too distracted by the? World If
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: jesus came back to, day would he find me? Faithful
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: because the greatest tragedy is not That jesus will, Return
• 48:39
  Speaker 1: it is that so many will not be. Ready what
• 48:43
  Speaker 1: we learn from living with the hope Of christ's return
• 48:46
  Speaker 1: is that hope is not an excuse for. Passivity it
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: is a call to. Action knowing That jesus is coming
• 48:53
  Speaker 1: back is not just about. Comfort it is about. Preparation
• 48:58
  Speaker 1: that is Why paul continues In First Thing masalonians five
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: one through, six urging believers to stay, awake to stay,
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: alert to stay. Ready he, writes, now brothers and, sisters
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: about times and, dates we do not need to write to,
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: you for you know very well that the day of
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: The lord will come like a thief in the. Night
• 49:19
  Speaker 1: while people are saying peace and, safety destruction will come
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: on them suddenly as labor pains on a pregnant, woman
• 49:29
  Speaker 1: and they will not. Escape but, you brothers and, sisters
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: are not in, darkness so that this day should surprise
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: you like a. Thief you are all children of the
• 49:39
  Speaker 1: light and children of the. Day we do not belong
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: to the night or to the. Darkness so then let
• 49:45
  Speaker 1: us not be like others who are, Asleep but let
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: us be awake and. Sober paul is making one thing.
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: Clear christ's return will be, sudden, unexpected, Unannounced jesus himself
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: said In matthew twenty four thirty. Six but about that
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: day or, hour no one, knows not even the angels in,
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: heaven nor The, son but only The. Father this is
• 50:13
  Speaker 1: Why paul says it will come like a thief in the.
• 50:16
  Speaker 1: NIGHT a thief does not send a. WARNING a thief
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: does not schedule an. APPOINTMENT a thief comes when no
• 50:24
  Speaker 1: one is expecting. Him and yet what Does paul? Say he,
• 50:28
  Speaker 1: says but, you brothers and, sisters are not in, darkness
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: so that this day should surprise you like a. Thief
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: in other, words the world will be caught off, guard
• 50:38
  Speaker 1: but The church should not. Be the world will be,
• 50:41
  Speaker 1: distracted chasing after, comfort success and self. Indulgence the world
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: will be saying peace and safety while ignoring the. Signs but,
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: believers we are supposed to be, awake, aware, Ready and
• 50:58
  Speaker 1: yet how Many christians today they are spiritually. Asleep how
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: many have become, complaisant going through the motions of, faith
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: attending church but never truly. Growing how many have become
• 51:10
  Speaker 1: distracted more focused on their, careers their, ambitions and their
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: comfort than On god's. Kingdom how many have become, lukewarm
• 51:20
  Speaker 1: believing In jesus but not living as though he is coming.
• 51:23
  Speaker 1: Back this is Why paul's warning is so. Urgent he
• 51:27
  Speaker 1: is not speaking to non. Believers he is speaking to the,
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: church because the danger is not just that the world is.
• 51:34
  Speaker 1: Asleep the danger is that Many christians are. Asleep jesus
• 51:40
  Speaker 1: gave a parable In matthew twenty five one to thirteen
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: about ten bridesmaids waiting for the arrival of the. Bridegroom
• 51:48
  Speaker 1: five were wise they kept their lamps burning ready for his,
• 51:52
  Speaker 1: return but five were. Foolish they let their lamps run
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: out of. Oil and when the bridegroom finally, arrived the
• 52:00
  Speaker 1: foolish bridesmaids were. Unprepared the door was shut and they
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: were left. Outside jesus ends the parable with a powerful. Warning,
• 52:10
  Speaker 1: therefore keep, watch because you do not know the day
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: or the. Hour this is the Message paul is. Reinforcing stay,
• 52:20
  Speaker 1: awake stay, ready live with. Urgency but what does that
• 52:24
  Speaker 1: actually look. Like, first staying awake means guarding your, Faith
• 52:30
  Speaker 1: paul says in One corinthian sixteen. Thirteen be on your,
• 52:33
  Speaker 1: guard stand firm in the, Faith be, courageous be. Strong
• 52:40
  Speaker 1: the enemy would love nothing more than to lull believers
• 52:43
  Speaker 1: into a state of spiritual, laziness to make them, comfortable,
• 52:47
  Speaker 1: distracted and. Indifferent but faith is not something we can
• 52:51
  Speaker 1: put on. Autopilot we must be. Intentional we must feed
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: our souls with The. Word we must stay connected To
• 53:00
  Speaker 1: god through. Prayer we must live with spiritual, discipline not
• 53:04
  Speaker 1: just spiritual. Emotion, second staying awake means living with. Purpose
• 53:11
  Speaker 1: if we truly Believe jesus could return at any, moment
• 53:14
  Speaker 1: it should change the way we. Live would we waste
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: time on things that do not? Matter would we neglect our?
• 53:22
  Speaker 1: Calling would we hold back in sharing the? Gospel jesus
• 53:25
  Speaker 1: said In john nine, four as long as it is,
• 53:28
  Speaker 1: day we must do the works of him who sent.
• 53:31
  Speaker 1: Me night is coming when no one can. Work every
• 53:36
  Speaker 1: day is an opportunity to, serve to, love to, build to,
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: reach to shine the light Of. Christ and yet how
• 53:43
  Speaker 1: many believers put off. Obedience how many tell, THEMSELVES i
• 53:47
  Speaker 1: will take my faith more seriously. Later how many think
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: they have plenty of time to get right With. God
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: paul's message is clear time is running. Out we do
• 53:58
  Speaker 1: not know When christ will, return but we do know
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: that we are closer to day than we were. Yesterday
• 54:05
  Speaker 1: this is why the enemy does not need to convince
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: people That jesus is not coming. Back he just needs
• 54:12
  Speaker 1: to convince them that they have time to, delay time
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: to delay, surrender time to delay, repentance time to delay.
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: Obedience but The bible never tells us to. Wait it
• 54:25
  Speaker 1: tells us to be. Ready And, third staying awake means
• 54:29
  Speaker 1: keeping our hearts. Pure paul, says you are all children
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: of the light and children of the. Day we do
• 54:37
  Speaker 1: not belong to the night or to the. Darkness to
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: stay awake means to live differently from the. World sect
• 54:45
  Speaker 1: To peter three eleven to twelve, says since everything will
• 54:49
  Speaker 1: be destroyed in this, way what kind of people ought
• 54:52
  Speaker 1: you to? Be you ought to live holy and godly
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: lives as you look forward to the day Of god
• 54:59
  Speaker 1: and speed its. Coming if we truly Believe jesus is coming,
• 55:04
  Speaker 1: back our lives should reflect. It our words should reflect,
• 55:09
  Speaker 1: it our relationships should reflect, it our choices should reflect.
• 55:12
  Speaker 1: It we should not be flirting with. Sin we should
• 55:15
  Speaker 1: be running from. It we should not be getting comfortable
• 55:19
  Speaker 1: in this. World we should be preparing for the. Next
• 55:22
  Speaker 1: so to, day ask, yourself AM i spiritually? Awake or
• 55:26
  Speaker 1: HAVE i become passive in my? Faith AM i living with?
• 55:29
  Speaker 1: Urgency or HAVE i fallen into? Complacency If jesus returned to,
• 55:35
  Speaker 1: day WOULD i be found? Ready because the greatest tragedy
• 55:40
  Speaker 1: is not That jesus will come. Unexpectedly it is that
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: so many will not be prepared when he. Does it
• 55:47
  Speaker 1: is one thing to stay alert For christ's, return but
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: it is another thing to live daily with a heart
• 55:54
  Speaker 1: that is steadfast in, faith unshaken by, trials and filled
• 55:59
  Speaker 1: with joy even in. Suffering that is Why paul follows
• 56:04
  Speaker 1: his warning about being spiritually awake with a powerful call
• 56:08
  Speaker 1: In First thessalonians five sixteen to. Eighteen rejoice, always, pray,
• 56:15
  Speaker 1: continually give thanks in all, circumstances for this Is god's
• 56:20
  Speaker 1: will for you In Christ. Jesus these are not just,
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: suggestions they are, commands and yet they are some of
• 56:28
  Speaker 1: the most challenging commands to. Obey rejoice always even when
• 56:33
  Speaker 1: life is, Hard pray, continually even when we feel distant From.
• 56:38
  Speaker 1: God give thanks in all, circumstances even when we do
• 56:42
  Speaker 1: not understand what he is. Doing how is this? Possible
• 56:46
  Speaker 1: most people think, joy, prayer and gratitude are based on.
• 56:49
  Speaker 1: Circumstances if life is going, well we. Rejoice if we feel,
• 56:55
  Speaker 1: inspired we. Pray if blessings, come we give. Thanks But
• 57:00
  Speaker 1: paul is not saying rejoice when life is, good pray
• 57:03
  Speaker 1: when you feel like, it give thanks when everything makes.
• 57:06
  Speaker 1: Sense he, says, rejoice, always, pray, continually give thanks in all.
• 57:12
  Speaker 1: Circumstances that means true faith is not based on. Feelings
• 57:16
  Speaker 1: it is a. Decision think About paul's own. Life when
• 57:20
  Speaker 1: he wrote this. Letter he was not sitting in. Comfort
• 57:23
  Speaker 1: he was constantly facing. Persecution he had been, beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked,
• 57:28
  Speaker 1: rejected and yet he. Rejoiced In acts, Sixteen paul And
• 57:34
  Speaker 1: silas were thrown into, prison, chained, beaten and left in the.
• 57:39
  Speaker 1: Darkness but instead of, complaining instead of giving in to,
• 57:43
  Speaker 1: despair what did they do about? Midnight paul And silas
• 57:48
  Speaker 1: were praying and singing hymns To, god and the other
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: prisoners were listening to. Them acts sixteen twenty. Five paul
• 57:57
  Speaker 1: understood something that many believers to day. Miss joy is
• 58:01
  Speaker 1: not based on. Circumstances it is based On. Christ that
• 58:06
  Speaker 1: is Why james one too tells us to consider it pure,
• 58:10
  Speaker 1: joy my brothers and, sisters whenever you face trials of many.
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: Kinds because joy is not the absence of, trials it
• 58:20
  Speaker 1: is the presence Of god in the midst of. Them
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: this is where prayer comes. In paul, says pray. Continually at,
• 58:27
  Speaker 1: first this sounds. Impossible how can any one pray all the?
• 58:30
  Speaker 1: Time But paul is not saying we need to spend
• 58:33
  Speaker 1: every second of the day on our. Knees he is
• 58:36
  Speaker 1: talking about a life style of. Prayer prayer is not
• 58:39
  Speaker 1: just an. Event it is a. Relationship it is an
• 58:42
  Speaker 1: ongoing conversation With god throughout the. Day it is waking
• 58:46
  Speaker 1: up and surrendering the day to. Him it is whispering
• 58:49
  Speaker 1: a prayer for wisdom before making a. Decision it is
• 58:53
  Speaker 1: crying out To him in frustration rather than complaining to.
• 58:57
  Speaker 1: Others it is Thanking him in the small, moments not
• 59:01
  Speaker 1: just the big. Ones jesus modeled this perfectly In luke five.
• 59:06
  Speaker 1: Sixteen it, says But jesus often withdrew to lonely places and.
• 59:10
  Speaker 1: Prayed if The son Of god needed, prayer how much
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: more do. We but here is where Many christians. Struggle
• 59:18
  Speaker 1: they do not feel worthy to. Pray they think they
• 59:21
  Speaker 1: have to clean themselves up before coming To. God but
• 59:25
  Speaker 1: that is not how prayer. Works hebrews four sixteen, says
• 59:29
  Speaker 1: let us then Approach god's throne of grace with, confidence
• 59:32
  Speaker 1: so that we may receive mercy and find grace to
• 59:35
  Speaker 1: help us in our time of. Need we do not
• 59:38
  Speaker 1: pray because we are. Perfect we pray because we are.
• 59:42
  Speaker 1: Not and when we make prayer a, lifestyle something changes
• 59:46
  Speaker 1: inside of. Us philippians four six to seven tells, us
• 59:50
  Speaker 1: do not be anxious about, anything but in every, situation
• 59:54
  Speaker 1: by prayer and, petition with, thanksgiving present your requests To.
• 59:59
  Speaker 1: God and the peace Of, god which transcends all, understanding
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 1: will guard your hearts and your. Minds In, Christ, jesus
• 1:00:08
  Speaker 1: did you catch that a peace is the result of.
• 1:00:10
  Speaker 1: Prayer when we, Pray god does not always change our situation,
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 1: immediately but he changes us in the middle of. It
• 1:00:18
  Speaker 1: and this leads to the final part Of paul's, command
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 1: give thanks in all. Circumstances notice it does not say
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 1: give thanks for all. Circumstances paul is not telling us
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 1: to be grateful for, suffering for, pain for. Loss but
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 1: he is telling us to be grateful in the midst of,
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 1: it because even in our hardest, Moments god is still.
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 1: Good even when life is, confusing he is still, faithful
• 1:00:46
  Speaker 1: even when prayers are, Unanswered he is still. Working even
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 1: when we do not see the, outcome we can trust
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 1: the one who holds. It this is why gratitude is a.
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 1: Choice it is looking at a difficult situation and Saying,
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 1: GOD i do not understand, this BUT i trust. You
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 1: it is facing disappointment and Saying, LORD i do not like,
• 1:01:10
  Speaker 1: this BUT i know you are still in. Control it
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 1: is waking up every day regardless of what we are,
• 1:01:17
  Speaker 1: facing and saying thank You god for who you. Are
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: this is not, easy but it is necessary if we
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 1: want to live with unshakable. Faith so today ask. Yourself
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 1: AM i living with? Joy or AM i letting circumstances
• 1:01:32
  Speaker 1: dictate my? Emotions AM i making prayer a? Priority or
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 1: is it SOMETHING i only turn to in? Emergencies AM
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 1: i living in? Gratitude or AM i constantly focused on
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 1: WHAT i? Lack Because paul does not say these things are.
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 1: Optional he says this Is god's will for you In Christ.
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 1: Jesus god's will is not that we live in, worry
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 1: stress and. Fear god's will is that we live in, joy,
• 1:02:00
  Speaker 1: prayer and. Thanksgiving the choice is. Ours our faith must
• 1:02:04
  Speaker 1: be anchored in, truth unwavering in the face of. Deception
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 1: it is not enough to simply feel spiritually. Strong we
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: must also be, discerning able to recognize what aligns With
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 1: god's word and what does. Not that is Why, paul
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: as he closes his letter to The, thessalonians gives this final
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 1: challenge In First thessalonians five twenty one to twenty. Two
• 1:02:31
  Speaker 1: but test, everything hold fast what is, good abstain from
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 1: every form of. Evil paul is warning The. Church not
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 1: everything that sounds good is From, god and that is
• 1:02:43
  Speaker 1: a lesson we desperately need to day because we live
• 1:02:47
  Speaker 1: in a world filled with half, truths, distortions and subtle.
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 1: LIES a world that says truth is whatever you feel it.
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: Is a culture that says if it makes you, happy
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 1: it must be. RIGHT a generation that values emotions over,
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 1: truth experience over, scripture and personal opinions Over god's. Word
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 1: But paul, says test everything that means we do not
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: accept every, teaching every, ideology every spiritual trend just because
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: it sounds. Good we test it against The, bible we
• 1:03:22
  Speaker 1: test it against the character Of, christ we test it
• 1:03:25
  Speaker 1: against the wisdom of The Holy. Spirit because deception does
• 1:03:30
  Speaker 1: not always come in obvious. Forms When satan Tempted eve
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 1: in The garden Of, eden he did not, say Reject
• 1:03:38
  Speaker 1: god and worship. Me, no he Twisted god's, words making
• 1:03:44
  Speaker 1: the lie sound close to the. Truth Did god really
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 1: say Set genesis three. One that is how the enemy.
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 1: Works he does not come with blatant. Evil he comes
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 1: with subtle, distortions convincing people to compromise just a, little
• 1:04:02
  Speaker 1: to adjust truth just, slightly until they are no longer
• 1:04:06
  Speaker 1: standing on solid. Ground this is why discernment is not
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 1: optional for. Believers it is. Essential but here is the.
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 1: Challenge how do we actually discern between what is true
• 1:04:20
  Speaker 1: and what is? False paul gives the, answer hold fast
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 1: to what is, good in other, words cling to the
• 1:04:27
  Speaker 1: word Of. God jesus said In john eight thirty one
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 1: through thirty, two if you abide in my, word you
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 1: are truly my, disciples and you will know the, truth
• 1:04:38
  Speaker 1: and the truth will set you. Free notice the. Order
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: first we abide in his. Word then we know the.
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 1: Truth then we are set. Free if we are not
• 1:04:49
  Speaker 1: abiding In god's, word if we are not deeply rooted in,
• 1:04:53
  Speaker 1: scripture we will not recognize deception when it. Comes this
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 1: is why so Many christians today are being led. Astray
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 1: they follow popular teachings without testing them against. Scripture they
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 1: base their faith on emotions instead of. Truth they seek
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: spiritual experiences instead of seeking biblical. Wisdom But poor is
• 1:05:15
  Speaker 1: saying stop test. Everything do not just believe something because
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 1: it sounds. Good test it against the word Of. God
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 1: but then he adds another, command abstain from every form of,
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 1: evil not some, evil every. Form because here is the.
• 1:05:33
  Speaker 1: Danger compromised does not start, Big it starts. SMALL a
• 1:05:38
  Speaker 1: little bit of sin tolerated in your, life a little
• 1:05:41
  Speaker 1: bit of false teaching accepted because it sounds, nice a
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 1: little bit of moral compromise justified Because god. Understands but
• 1:05:52
  Speaker 1: small compromises lead to big. Destruction this is Why proverbs
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 1: four twenty three, says above all, else go your, heart
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 1: for everything you do flows from. It what you allow
• 1:06:05
  Speaker 1: into your mind will eventually shape your. Beliefs what you
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 1: tolerate in your life will eventually take. Control paul is
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 1: not saying avoid major. Sins he is saying avoid every
• 1:06:18
  Speaker 1: form of, Evil avoid half truths that Distort god's. Word
• 1:06:22
  Speaker 1: avoid toxic influences that pull you away from. Holiness avoid
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 1: spiritual laziness that makes you indifferent to what is, right
• 1:06:30
  Speaker 1: because small compromises will always lead you further than you
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 1: intended to. Go this is how sin. Works it starts
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 1: as a, suggestion it turns into an, excuse it becomes a.
• 1:06:43
  Speaker 1: Habit it destroys your, faith and the most dangerous, part
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 1: it happens so slowly most people do not realize it
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 1: until it is too. Late this is why we must
• 1:06:54
  Speaker 1: be intentional about guarding our. Faith so to, day ask
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 1: yourself and my test everything Against god's? Word or AM
• 1:07:02
  Speaker 1: i just accepting what feels? Right AM i clinging to?
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 1: Truth or AM i allowing small compromises to creep? In
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 1: AM i guarding my? Heart or AM i letting the
• 1:07:13
  Speaker 1: world shape my? Beliefs because the world is constantly, shaping,
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 1: influencing and, deceiving and if we are not actively holding
• 1:07:22
  Speaker 1: on to, truth we will slowly drift from. It the
• 1:07:25
  Speaker 1: most important lesson we learn from holding on to truth
• 1:07:29
  Speaker 1: is that faith is not just about. Believing it is
• 1:07:32
  Speaker 1: about standing firm until the very. End it is one
• 1:07:37
  Speaker 1: thing to start strong in our walk With, christ but
• 1:07:40
  Speaker 1: it is another thing to finish. Strong The christian life
• 1:07:46
  Speaker 1: is not a. Sprint it is a, marathon and like
• 1:07:49
  Speaker 1: any long, race there will be, obstacles, distractions and moments of.
• 1:07:53
  Speaker 1: Exhaustion this is Why paul ends his letter to The
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 1: thessalonians with an urgent, reminder do not give, up do not,
• 1:08:02
  Speaker 1: drift do not lose, focus stay faithful until the. End
• 1:08:09
  Speaker 1: throughout this, Letter paul has spoken of, faith endurance and
• 1:08:13
  Speaker 1: the hope Of christ's. Return he has warned against, deception spiritual,
• 1:08:18
  Speaker 1: laziness and falling into. Complacency and now as he, closes
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 1: he is challenging The thessalonian believers and us to examine
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 1: our lives and ask are we truly living with, faith
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 1: endurance and. Hope jesus never promised that The christian life
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 1: would be. Easy in, fact he promised the. Opposite In
• 1:08:40
  Speaker 1: john sixteen thirty, three he, said in this world you
• 1:08:45
  Speaker 1: will have, trouble but take, HEART i have overcome the.
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 1: World trouble is, guaranteed trials are, inevitable persecution is, Expected
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 1: but so who is. Victory the difference between those who
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 1: fall away and those who stand firm is not how
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 1: easy their path, Was it is whether they remained faithful
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 1: in the midst of. Difficulty this is Why paul tells
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 1: the church In First thessalonians five twenty three to twenty.
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 1: Four May god, himself The god of, peace sanctify you
• 1:09:24
  Speaker 1: through and. Through may your whole, spirit, soul and body
• 1:09:29
  Speaker 1: be kept blameless at the coming of Our Lord Jesus.
• 1:09:32
  Speaker 1: Christ the one who calls you is faithful and he
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 1: will do. It did you catch That god is the
• 1:09:38
  Speaker 1: one who keeps. Us we are not standing firm by
• 1:09:42
  Speaker 1: our own. Strength we are standing firm Because god is.
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 1: Faithful and this is what Sets christianity apart from every
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 1: other belief. System other religions teach that it is about your,
• 1:09:55
  Speaker 1: effort your, discipline your ability to hold. On But christianity
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 1: teaches That god is the one who holds on to.
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 1: You philippians one six, says being confident of, this That
• 1:10:09
  Speaker 1: he who began a good work in you will carry
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 1: it on to completion until the day Of Christ. Jesus
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 1: god does not start something and then abandon. It he
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 1: does not save you and then leave you to figure
• 1:10:22
  Speaker 1: it out. Alone he is the one who began the
• 1:10:25
  Speaker 1: work in, you and he is the one who will finish.
• 1:10:28
  Speaker 1: It but here is the. Challenge will we remain? Faithful
• 1:10:32
  Speaker 1: because While god is, faithful we have a responsibility to stand,
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 1: Firm jesus said In matthew twenty four. Thirteen but the
• 1:10:41
  Speaker 1: one who stands firm to the end will be. Saved
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 1: that means faith is not just about how we. Start
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 1: it is about whether we. Endure but how do we? Endure,
• 1:10:52
  Speaker 1: first we must keep our eyes On. Jesus In hebrews
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 1: twelve one through, Two paul, says let us throw off
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 1: everything that hinders and the sin that so easily, entangles
• 1:11:04
  Speaker 1: and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for,
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 1: us fixing our eyes On, jesus the pioneer and perfector of.
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 1: Faith if we fix our eyes on the, world we
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 1: will get. Discouraged if we fix our eyes on, people
• 1:11:18
  Speaker 1: we will get. Disappointed if we fix our eyes on,
• 1:11:21
  Speaker 1: circumstances we will get. Overwhelmed but if we fix our
• 1:11:26
  Speaker 1: eyes On, jesus we will find strength to keep. Going,
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 1: second we must remain rooted In god's Word psalm, one
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 1: verse two to three, says but whose delight is in
• 1:11:38
  Speaker 1: the law of The, lord and who meditates on his
• 1:11:41
  Speaker 1: law day and, night that person is like a tree
• 1:11:44
  Speaker 1: planted by streams of, water which yields its fruit in,
• 1:11:48
  Speaker 1: season and whose leaf does not. Wither whatever they do.
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: PROSPERS a tree does not survive storms by having strong.
• 1:11:56
  Speaker 1: Branches it survives by having deep. Roots and Many christians
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 1: today struggle because they are not deeply. Rooted they depend
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 1: on sermons instead of studying The bible for. Themselves they
• 1:12:10
  Speaker 1: rely on emotions instead of. Truth they allow culture to
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 1: shape their beliefs instead Of god's. Word But paul, says test,
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 1: everything hold fast to what is. Good the only way
• 1:12:21
  Speaker 1: to test everything is to know The word Of god for.
• 1:12:24
  Speaker 1: Yourself and, third we must stay connected to the body Of.
• 1:12:28
  Speaker 1: Christ hebrews ten twenty five, says let us not give
• 1:12:32
  Speaker 1: up meeting together as some are in the habit of,
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 1: doing but encouraging one. Another and all the, more as
• 1:12:39
  Speaker 1: you see the day. Approaching The christian life is not
• 1:12:44
  Speaker 1: meant to be lived. Alone many people fall away from,
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 1: faith not because they stop believing In, god but because
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 1: they isolate themselves from The. Church they get hurt and walk,
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 1: away they get distracted and stop prioritizing fem. Fellowship they
• 1:13:01
  Speaker 1: convince themselves they can Follow jesus. Alone but faith is
• 1:13:05
  Speaker 1: not meant to be. Individual it is meant to be.
• 1:13:09
  Speaker 1: Communal we need each, Other we need, Accountability we need
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 1: encouragement because standing firm until the end is not just
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 1: about personal. Strength it is about surrounding yourself with believers
• 1:13:22
  Speaker 1: who will lift you up when you feel. Weak so
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 1: today ask, yourself AM i truly standing firm in? Faith
• 1:13:30
  Speaker 1: or HAVE i become spiritually? Passive AM i rooted In god's?
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 1: Word or AM i relying on opinions and? Emotions AM
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: i staying connected to the body Of? Christ or AM
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 1: i isolating? Myself because The christian life is not just
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 1: about believing In. Jesus it is about remaining faithful until
• 1:13:50
  Speaker 1: the very. End and here is the good. News god
• 1:13:54
  Speaker 1: has already given us everything we need to stand, strong
• 1:14:00
  Speaker 1: given us his word to guide. Us he has given
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 1: us his spirit to strengthen. Us he has given us
• 1:14:06
  Speaker 1: His church to support. Us now the question is will we?
• 1:14:10
  Speaker 1: Endure let's pray this prayer. Together Heavenly, father we come
• 1:14:14
  Speaker 1: before you to, day recognizing our deep need for your.
• 1:14:18
  Speaker 1: Strength you have called us to stand, firm to hold
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 1: on to, truth to walk in, faith and to live
• 1:14:24
  Speaker 1: in expectation Of christ's. Return But, lord we confess that
• 1:14:29
  Speaker 1: sometimes we feel. Weak sometimes we get, distracted sometimes we
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 1: feel overwhelmed by the trials of this. Life yet you
• 1:14:36
  Speaker 1: have promised that those who trust In you will never be.
• 1:14:40
  Speaker 1: Shaken so to day we surrender our, fears our, doubts
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 1: and our burdens at your. Feet, lord help us to
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 1: be people of unshakable, faith faith that is not swayed by,
• 1:14:51
  Speaker 1: circumstances but anchored in your. Word when the storms of life,
• 1:14:56
  Speaker 1: come when we feel, attacked when we feel, weary remind
• 1:15:00
  Speaker 1: us that you are our refuge and strengthen ever present
• 1:15:04
  Speaker 1: help in. Trouble just as you Strengthened paul and the
• 1:15:08
  Speaker 1: Early church to endure hardship and, Persecution give us that same.
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 1: Endurance to. Day let us not Be christians who only
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 1: stand when it is, easy but believers who stand even
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 1: when it costs us. Something, father we pray for discernment
• 1:15:26
  Speaker 1: in a world filled with. Deception your word warns us
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: that in the last, days many will fall away from the,
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 1: truth exchanging sound doctrine for what their itching ears want to. Hear,
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 1: lord do not let that be. Us keep our hearts
• 1:15:42
  Speaker 1: sensitive to your, voice keep our eyes fixed On. Jesus
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 1: help us to test everything against your word and to
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 1: reject anything that does not align with. You we do
• 1:15:54
  Speaker 1: not want to be swayed by popular, opinions cultural, trends
• 1:15:58
  Speaker 1: or empty. Philosophies we want to be rooted In christ. Alone.
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 1: Lord we pray for a heart that remains expectant for your.
• 1:16:06
  Speaker 1: Return so often we get caught up in the distractions
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: of this. World we forget that this life is, temporary
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 1: that eternity is, real and That jesus is coming. Again
• 1:16:18
  Speaker 1: forgive us for living as if this world is our.
• 1:16:20
  Speaker 1: Home help us to stay, awake to stay, ready and
• 1:16:24
  Speaker 1: to live every day with. Purpose let our lives reflect
• 1:16:28
  Speaker 1: the urgency of The. Gospel let our hearts burn with
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 1: a passion for your. Kingdom let us be found faithful
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 1: when you. Return. Lord we pray for boldness in sharing our.
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 1: Faith this world is growing, darker but your light has not.
• 1:16:43
  Speaker 1: Dimmed help us to be the salt and light you
• 1:16:46
  Speaker 1: have called us to. Be give us the courage to
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 1: stand for truth even when it is. Unpopular give us
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 1: the wisdom to love people without compromising our. Convictions give
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 1: us the words to speak to those who are, lost
• 1:17:00
  Speaker 1: that they might come to know you before it is too. Late,
• 1:17:03
  Speaker 1: Father we also lift up those who feel weary in their.
• 1:17:07
  Speaker 1: Faith maybe they have been, struggling, doubting or wondering if
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 1: they can keep. Going maybe they feel distant From, you
• 1:17:15
  Speaker 1: burdened by, sin or trapped in. Fear, lord remind them
• 1:17:19
  Speaker 1: that you have not abandoned. Them just As paul encouraged
• 1:17:22
  Speaker 1: The thessalonians to keep pressing. Forward let them know that
• 1:17:25
  Speaker 1: you are still at work in their. Lives you have
• 1:17:28
  Speaker 1: not given up on, them and you never. Will strengthen their,
• 1:17:32
  Speaker 1: hearts restore their, faith and draw them closer To. You.
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 1: Lord we thank you for your. Word thank you for
• 1:17:39
  Speaker 1: The book Of First thessalonians and the powerful truths it teaches.
• 1:17:43
  Speaker 1: Us thank you for reminding us to rejoice, always to pray,
• 1:17:47
  Speaker 1: continually and to give thanks in all. Circumstances Thank you
• 1:17:52
  Speaker 1: for giving us everything we need to live faithfully in
• 1:17:55
  Speaker 1: these last. Days, Father we also pray for everyone watching this.
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 1: Video let this message sink deep into their. Hearts let
• 1:18:03
  Speaker 1: it transform them from the inside. Out let it equip
• 1:18:06
  Speaker 1: them to stand, firm to walk in, truth and to
• 1:18:10
  Speaker 1: live in the confidence Of christ's. Return we ask that
• 1:18:13
  Speaker 1: you bless, them strengthen, them and fill them with the
• 1:18:16
  Speaker 1: power of Your Holy spirit And. Lord as we close
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 1: this time of, prayer we ask that you would continue
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 1: to lead us deeper into your, truth help us to
• 1:18:26
  Speaker 1: seek you, daily to hunger for your, presence and to
• 1:18:30
  Speaker 1: remain faithful until the very. End we love, You, lord
• 1:18:34
  Speaker 1: we worship, you and we commit our lives to you
• 1:18:38
  Speaker 1: now and forever In Jesus mighty. Name. Amen if this
• 1:18:43
  Speaker 1: message has blessed, you we encourage you to check out
• 1:18:46
  Speaker 1: our full explainer video on One thessalonian's and grab the
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 1: e book for deeper. Study the link is in the. Description,
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 1: also if you know someone who needs encouragement in their,
• 1:18:57
  Speaker 1: faith take a moment to share this video with them.
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 1: Them may we all continue to stand, firm to live in,
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 1: faith and to keep our eyes On jesus because he
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 1: is coming. Soon