Strength For The Battle | 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20 | Pastor John Miller

want to read the whole passage verse 13 to verse 20. follow with me in your bible paul says for this cause verse 13 also thank we god without ceasing because when you received the word of god you were as you heard of us you received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of god which effectually worketh in you also that believe for ye were brethren become for you brethren became followers of the churches of god which were in judea and of in christ jesus for you have also suffered like things of your own countrymen as they also have of the jews who both killed the lord jesus they killed their own prophets they persecute us they please not god and they are contrary to all men they forbid us to speak to the gentiles that they might be saved to fulfill their sins alway for the wrath of god has come upon them to the uttermost but we brethren being taken from you for a short time in presence but not in heart we endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire wherefore we would have come to you even i paul once and again but satan hindered us notice that for what is our hope our joy our crown of rejoicing are not even you in the presence of the lord jesus christ at his coming for you are our glory and our joy the great a.w toger once said and i quote the christian life is not a playground it is a what battleground you know the quote and if you've been a christian for very long you know that the christian life is not easy it's not a bed of roses there's thorns along the way jesus said behold in the world you shall have tribulation but be of good church i have overcome the world so we are redeemed we're blessed the lord is with us he will not leave us or forsake us but it doesn't mean that we're immune from the storms of life it doesn't mean the immunity from the trials of life or being afflicted or persecuted for our faith in jesus christ in a world of hostility the church in thessalonica was born it was born through the ministry of paul the apostle on the second missionary journey recorded in the book of acts chapter 17. you can read about it if you want to make a note and go there this afternoon and read about the beginning of the church in thessalonica acts chapter 17. but in the first chapter of the book of first thessalonians paul says in verse 7 that they were an example to all the believers that were in macedonia which is northern greece and the ki which is southern greece so this church is called a model church now he broke it down he said that you were an elect church chapter 1 verse 4 knowing brother and beloved your election of god secondly they were in evangelistic church chapter one verse eight he says from you sounded out the word of god and then they were they were in expectant church chapter one and verse ten they were waiting for the lord to come from heaven so i like this letter to the thessalonians first and second theft because it's written to a model church and there's a lot of pictures for the church but it wasn't only a model church they had a model minister or pastor his name was paul the apostle and paul the apostle was like a father who faithfully preached to them god's word look at chapter 2 and verse 11 and 12 quickly with me he says as you know how we exhorted and we comforted and we encourage every one of you as a father does his children and that you would walk worthy verse 12 of god who hath called you unto his kingdom and his glory so here we have a model church and a model minister or pastor paul and paul was like a loving father who exhorted them and comforted them and encouraged them that they chapter 2 verse 12 would walk worthy of the glory and the kingdom that god had called them to so they were a model church with a model pastor or minister but that didn't mean that life was easy for the believers in thessalonica i want to point something else out before we unpack our text look at chapter 1 and verse 6 he mentions the phrase much affliction that's what they were going through chapter 1 verse 6. and then in chapter 2 verse 14 our tech go back there they were suffering like things of their own countrymen then in chapter 2 verse 15 they were persecuted paul says they persecuted us and then in chapter 2 verse 18 he uses the expression we'll come to satan hindered us and then jump forward to chapter 3 and verse 3 where it says that no man should be moved by these afflictions notice that for yourselves know that we were appointed there unto now the list could go on and on and on needless to say this is a sampling of the fact that they were persecuted they were afflicted they were suffering they were going through hard times and paul says we want you to know that you were appointed thereunto what a word of encouragement you were appointed by god to go through hardships and he said i thought you were telling us how we can have strength for the battle i am but there is battles in life amen and you can't avoid them there's no christian fallout shelters god doesn't put you in a holy ghost bubble and protect you from the things of this world but he's promised to give you his divine resources to strengthen you for the battle write down second timothy 3 12 where paul says yes all that will live godly and in the greek it's actually desire to live godly in christ jesus shall suffer what persecution all that live godly in christ jesus shall suffer persecution but god provides divine resources to give us strength for the battle so what i want to do in this text i want to give you three of the divine resources that we have to give us strength to be able to face the battles of life if you're taking notes you can write them down number one god has given us his word within us so we have the word of god within us verse 13. i want you to go back there and look at it with me paul says for this cause now what is he speaking about he's speaking about in chapter 1 to chapter 212 he's talking about how he preached and delivered the gospel to them in light of the fact that he was preaching the gospel without compromise to them and now he begins in verse 13 of chapter 2 to speak about how they received the word you know there's two parts to the word of god there's the hearing the word there's the receiving the word there's the preaching of the word which the pastor does in the congregation and then the receiving of the word and the word working mightily in the hearts of god's people every church should be a bible church the bible is the center of the christian life we learn about christ we grow to love christ know him and serve him as the spirit of god we're going to see in verse 13 uses the word of god to transform the child of god into the image of jesus christ the son of god and so the focus in paul's ministry in thessalonica was on the word of god so the church in thessalonica was born founded and the believers lives were transformed by the spirit of god through the preaching of the word of god so he says that you received verse 13 the word of god which you heard of us received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of god so twice he uses that term the word of god which effectually or effectively worketh also in you that what believe so this is one of my favorite verses in the bible i don't know if you believe me when i say that because i say that about a lot of verses but every verse i'm preaching is my favorite verse but i love this verse because it talks about the effect of god's word in the life of god's people to transform their lives and i'm all about that so paul was thankful to god that they were receptive to god's word the best way to find strength in life's battles is to hide god's word in your heart amen david said thy word have i hid in my heart that i might not what sin against you so as we hide god's word in our hearts and we receive god's word we're transformed from god's word he gives us strength for the battle but i really really think it's important to note in verse 13 that it works effectually it works effectually that word effectual means that it performs its desired purpose god's word will not come back void it will accomplish the purposes that god sent it to accomplish so my question is is god's word working effectually in your life are you bored with the book are you bored with the word of god when you read the scriptures do you just go this is too boring let's watch tv or a movie let's go do something else or do you have an appreciation for god's word do you value god's word do you hunger for god's word the thing that's going to give you strength and this is simple but not simplistic and the battles of life is building your life on the word of god amen building your life building your marriage building your family building your career your job your calling your occupation you build everything on the foundation of god's word and then and only then you'll be able to stand against the storms that come in life now i want to ask three questions if you're taking notes about your relationship to the word of god number one do you appreciate god's word do you appreciate god's word look at verse 13 he says you receive the word not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of god do you have that same outlook this isn't man's opinion these are not man's views this is not just the word of men it is actually god's holy word the bible is the word of god and i wanted to to note i already mentioned it but point out in verse 13 that twice he uses the expression the word of god he mentions that twice the bible is the what word of god living powerful active word of god not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of god write down ii timothy 3 16. i give it to you often and i'm going to keep giving it to you until the lord takes me home all scripture is given by what inspiration of god second timothy 3 16. we know john 3 16 memorize memorize second timothy 3 16. all scriptures given by inspiration of god and is what profitable for what is right what is wrong how to get right and how to stay right doctrine reproof instruction and righteousness that the man or woman of god second timothy 3 17 may be perfect or mature for all good works and acts of service so you want to be mature and strong and you need the word of god hidden in your heart but you need to value it and appreciate it as god's word it's hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 where the writer of hebrews said the word of god is alive and powerful it's sharper than a two-edged sword and appears to dividing us under of the soul and spirit the joint and moral becomes the discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart so god's word has power write down psalm 19 verse 7 to 10 and i'm going to give you seven things that we need to view about the word of god seven qualities of the scriptures it's perfect number one the word means there in psalm 19 comprehensive and then the psalmist says it converts the soul secondly it is sure against psalm 19 or true making wise the simple that is the morally simple that don't know right from wrong they can see clearly and then thirdly the word of god is right what it does is rejoice the heart brings joy to our hearts and then fourthly the word of god is pure psalmist says it enlightens your eyes it helps you to see life clearly i believe every christian should have a biblical world view everything we view in life should be viewed through the lens of scripture and then it is clean the bible says enduring forever means it's relevant to all generations sometimes people think the bible is irrelevant nothing can be more relevant than god's living powerful word and you know that god continues to speak through what he's spoken all scripture is given by inspiration of god it means it's god breathed the god superintended the human authors the very words they wrote were the words of god i believe it's inspired by god i believe it's an errand i believe it's infallible i believe it's clear i believe it's sufficient it's all that we need for life and godliness and then the psalmist says psalm 19 that it's true a righteous all together it makes you live a righteous life and then verse 10 of psalm 19 the seventh mark it's more to be desired than gold yea than much fine gold i would rather have god's word than the than the wind the million-dollar lottery you know but then i could buy a lunch of a bunch of bibles you don't need a bunch of bibles you only need one bible some of us have 10 bibles but we don't read any of them look at my bible collection i don't read them but aren't they wonderful god's word is more to be desired than gold either much fine gold sweeter also than honey from the honeycomb so here's my question do you appreciate god's word do you understand this book is not just the word of men but it is indeed the very word of god then second question on verse 13 i want to ask is do you absorb god's word do you absorb god's word notice verse 13 you received the word of god then also again you received it not as the word of men he uses the word received twice and the first time you use the word received it means to accept a gift from another the second word received it not as the word of men but as received it as the word of god means to welcome it gladly or welcome it joyfully so not only did they accept god's word but they gladly welcomed it into their heart and life so there's the preaching of the word but there's the hearing of the word you know from the pew's perspective you're always focusing on the pulpit but from the pulpit perspective the focus is the pew so there's both the preaching of the word and the hearing of the word so we need to be biblical listeners we need biblical preachers but we need biblical listeners people to say this is the word of the lord and i want to welcome it gladly into my heart not analyzing the preacher's vocabulary or the points of the sermon or how eloquent he is or funny he is but saying what is god saying to me today and paul was thankful for them that they received god's word i'm thankful that you as a congregation come with bibles in hand and you open the scriptures you hear the bible and you receive it not as men's word but god's word because it does work effectually in us so my second question is do you absorb it notice verse 13 you received it has not man's word but god's word do you let god's word sink into your heart not just your head and then third question is do you apply god's word into your life so do you appreciate god's word do you absorb god's word and then thirdly do you apply it notice verse 30 13. it says the word of god which effectually works in you that what belief you know not not it's not just the hearing of the bible it's the believing of the bible faith and it actually implies obedience so you hear you receive and then you obey god's word you must believe and obey god's word james chapter 1 verse 22 james says be what doers of the word not hearers only because if you just hear the word of god and you don't do the word of god then you're deceiving your own self it's like looking in a mirror saying that you need help but forgetting what you've seen and going your way you ever seen somebody show up for work in the morning and you think do you own a mirror i don't usually say that i just think that forgive me have you looked in the mirror lately you need help or looking in the mirror when i get up in the morning all my hair faces one direction it all goes it all goes south you know it's like bed head to the max and i don't go out and face today like that i remember i need help and i apply a little water and some combs and put some gel in there and comb my hair and everything so you know when i look into god's word i need help and so i spend time praying and meditating in the spirit of god transforming and then working effectually in us that put it into practice and believe so we are fit for the storms of life by the word of god within us and that's something god has provided for everyone and this is absolutely foundational i can 100 guarantee you strength for the storms of life if you build your life on god's word amen god's word will strengthen you here's the second divine resource write it down in verse 14 to 16 not only has god given his word within us but secondly we have god's people around us god's people around us are the people of god around us look at verse 14 again with me paul says for ye brethren one of his favorite titles for believers he used it again in verse 17. he says you became followers or imitators of the churches of god which are in judea now these are the churches that were in jerusalem the believers there were primarily jews which were in christ jesus for you also have suffered there it is like things of your own countrymen that would be the gentiles persecuting the believers there in thessalonica which was a greek city so he says you suffered there in thessalonica by your gentile brethren or people your countrymen excuse me just as we suffered by the jews in judea even as they have the jews notice verse 15 who both killed the lord jesus now this is one of the most stern indictments paul ever brought against the jewish people he wasn't anti-semitic by any means his heart's desire in israel was that they be saved but as a fact of history not only did the romans kill jesus not only did the jews kill jesus but we killed him with our sins on the cross so but he says the jews both killed the lord jesus their own prophets they have persecuted us they please not god verse 15 and they are contrary to all men they're persecuting the believers they forbid us verse 16 to speak to the gentiles they might be saved to fill up their sins alway for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost so god uses the persecution of unbelievers to justify his judgment upon them when his wrath is poured out but the point i want to make there in verse 14 is that they have suffered like things from their own countrymen even as they have the jews in other words you are not alone paul is writing to them and telling to encourage them that these saints in thessalonica were suffering just like the saints were suffering in judea so we're part of one fellowship one family one body just as they suffered there or as the believers suffer in haiti or in other parts of the world so we are part of one family they are our brothers and sisters in christ but the point is that we're not alone god's given us his church so paul actually means to encourage them by telling them look you're not alone we suffered in jerusalem the judean church and you suffered there in thessalonica for the gentile church from your countrymen but we're part of one fellowship one family and one body now if you take a stand verse 13 on god's word you will suffer for your stand verse 14. verse 14 naturally follows verse 13 thematically and that if you take a stand on god's word that you will be persecuted and suffer in the world but we are not alone we're part of a family of god the church the body of christ you know one of the sad tragedies of these past several months or year that we have experienced this pandemic around the world called covet 19 that the church has had such division and strife in it people arguing over vaccinations and masks and all the things that are going on in the world and the crazy chaotic world that we live in and i believe that the church is essential for the christian life we're not alone we can't do it without one another there's no substitute for coming to church and being the church and praying and worshiping together and singing and hearing god's word and encouraging one another so the point i want to make is as you face these battles in our world we need one another we need the church we need the fellowship of the body of christ i want you to write these down the bible is full of one another's in the body of christ write down john 13 34 love one another write down john 13 verse 14 wash one another's feet write down first thessalonians 5 11 edify one another write down galatians 6 and verse 2 bear one another's burdens how do you do that if you're alone and then write down ephesians 4 verse 32 forgive one another and then write down first peter chapter 4 and verse 9 i love it where it says show hospitality to one another not only should we be reaching out to one another we should be inviting one another into our homes i really urge you and encourage you you need the local church you need the local fellowship you need to be knit together with other believers be a part of a dinner fellowship be a part of a life group be a part of a small group come to women's bible study men's bible study come on wednesday nights get involved in ministry be connected because when you are facing opposition and persecution and satan tries to hinder you and you're going through a battle in life you not only need the word of god within you you need the people of god around you praying for you loving you encouraging you bearing one another's burdens amen there's a third divine resource it's in verse 17 to 20. especially the key verse verse 19 and that is the glory of god before us so we have the word of god within us we have the people of god around us when we suffer and then we have the glory of god before us look at verse 17 he says but we brethren being taken from you for a short time in presence but not in heart we endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire let me explain what paul is saying here paul when he went to thessalonica in acts 17 was only there for three short weeks and the church was born model church in three weeks and then the persecution came from the jews and he had to be driven out from there that's when went to berea and he went to other places then he ended up in acts chapter 18 in athens and then he sent timothy back to check on them but he only been there for three weeks so what happened was this is how satan tries to hinder us is satan sent jews into the church saying paul doesn't really love you paul's not really a true minister of god he departed from you he left you he bailed on you he forsook you so paul is writing to them to affirm his love i was taken from you verse 17. that word taken from you that phrase literally means i was orphaned now earlier he had spoken about him as a pastor being like a loving mother and a supportive father and then he says when i was driven away from you i i was orphaned i think about the 10 weeks when our church was shut down with covet and i literally preached to an empty sanctuary for 10 weeks i was orphaned it was one of the hardest things i've ever done [Applause] to preach to an empty sanctuary for 10 weeks my wife can bear witness of how agonizing that was for me to just preach into a camera and not to see your lovely faces thank god we're gathering and we're worshiping together as the body of christ we need each other amen [Applause] and the world needs the church if there's anything the world needs right now is the church amen to be a light to the world to take the word of god and to be a model but i think of paul when he said to them i was orphaned verse 17. i was taken in presence but not in heart my heart was truly there he was being attacked by his critics and i endeavored more abundantly to see your face with great desire paul's great love wherefore we would have come to you even i paul once and again but here it is verse 18 but satan hindered us now i can preach a whole sermon on that statement satan hindered us there really is a devil if you're taking notes right now there really is a devil watch out be sober be vigilant your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may what devour but god will use even the devil for our good and for his glory god will serve use satan to serve his own purposes so there really is a devil in paul's case he sent jewish opposition and persecution he put paul in prison and then he also allowed satan to afflict paul's body it's called the thorn in his flesh second corinthians 12 a messenger of satan to what buffett him if you want to find out whether there's a real devil or not begin to read the bible begin to obey the bible and you'll meet the devil you go that's supposed to be an encouragement to read the bible but don't let it scare you because god still sits on the throne amen god is in control greater is he that's in you that is he that is in the world and that's what satan wants us to be afraid he wants us to cower in fear god hasn't given us a spirit of fear he's given us power and love and what a sound mind speaks of our emotions he's given us a sound mind so we're to stand on god's word we're to be supported by god's people and we're to realize that satan will oppose us trying to fort the purposes of god but god's grace is sufficient for us his strength is made perfect in our what weakness now i want you to notice the key text verse 19 for what is our hope what is our joy what is our crown of rejoicing this is a rhetorical question and paul answers it are not even you in the presence of our lord jesus christ at his what coming the greek word perusa his appearing at the end of each chapter in 1st thessalonians you have a reference to the coming again of jesus christ so paul starts with the word of god within us the people of god around us and the coming of christ before us and that's our strength to keep our focus on jesus christ who's coming again who will bring with him our rewards amen must never ever forget when the outlook is bad try the uplook look to the hope of heaven jesus christ is coming in i love what paul says in verse 19 he says our hope our joy our crown of rejoicing is you in the presence of our lord jesus christ at his coming so paul knew that jesus would come again that the believers in thessalonica would be in his presence that he would see them and know them in heaven and that they would be his joy and his crown at his coming notice verse 20 for you are our glory and our joy now when jesus comes will you rejoice in his presence because of the people that have you have influenced for christ i think about this all the years of serving the lord will all be worth it all when we see jesus all the suffering all the denial all the hardships all the difficulties it'll all be worth it when we see jesus and when we hear him say well done thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of the lord amen only when life will soon be passed and only what's done for christ will what last my encouragement for you is get grounded in god's word get surrounded by god's people and set your eyes on our future hope of heaven amen let's pray

Channel: Revival Christian Fellowship

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Length: 33min 37sec (2017 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 15 2021