so so Let's stand and sing a new name and glory. I was once a sinner, but I came hardened to receive from my Lord. It was freely given, and I found that He always kept His word. There's a new name written down in glory. And it's mine, oh yes, it's mine And the white-robed angels sing the story A sinner has come home For there's a new name written down in glory And it's mine, oh yes, it's mine With my sins forgiven, I am bound In the book just written, saved by grace, Oh, the joy that came to my soul. Now I am forgiven, and I know, By the blood I am made whole. There's a new name written down in glory, And it's mine, oh yes, it's mine. And the wide-robed angels sing the story, A sinner has come home. For there's a new name written down in glory, And it's mine, oh yes, it's mine. With my sins forgiven, I am bound for heaven, Nevermore to roam. Well, that'll wake you up if you're not already awake. That'll perk you right up. All right, and we're glad to have a new home in heaven waiting for us. All right, we're going to pray, and then we'll continue with the Sunday School Hour. Father, I ask that you bless the time we have together. We need your presence. We need your power. I ask that you can provide both. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. God bless you. You can be seated. Enjoy what you would as a shelter in the time of storm. The Lord's our rock, in Him we hide, Shelter in the time of storm. Secure whatever ill-beats hide, Shelter in the time of storm. Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land, A weary land, a weary land. Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land, Shelter in the time of storms. O rock divine, O refuge dear, Shelter in the time of storms. Be thou our helper ever near, ♪ The shelter and the time of dawn ♪ Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land ♪ A weary land, a weary land ♪ Oh, Jesus is a rock in a weary land ♪ The shelter and the time of dawn Let's go, Lord. Lord, in prayer. Father, we come to you this morning again, to your house, expecting a blessing from your word. We pray, Father, you'd be with those that stand before us and teach your word this morning, help them with your spirit and your insight and your knowledge. Be with the preacher this morning as he preaches your word this morning. Bless him in a special way. I pray he's feeling better this morning. Lord, we thank you for your love to us and your mercy and your forgiveness of our sins, for your salvation and for your grace. Thank you for the promise of heaven, Lord. As we go through this world, this life with all the sin and it's prevalent, Lord, we much more see what's coming for us in heaven and look forward to it. Lord, we ask you to bless this morning those that are sick, in the hospital, not feeling well. Maybe had some surgery or some sickness, Lord, trying to get over. As you touch their bodies, you're the great physician. We look to you for that help. Lord, we pray, Father, that there's one here this morning in the Sunday school class or in the church service that doesn't know you as Savior as yet. We pray, Lord, you touch their heart and grow them to you. And you open their hearts door, Lord, that they may enter in. Lord, I pray, Father, you'd be with our military and our nation and Israel and police officers, EMS workers and nurses and doctors, all those that come to our aid, Father, when we're sick and we're ill. It has to be with them, be with our missionaries this morning, Lord, as they labor for you in the field. Father, we thank you for all your blessings. May she guide and direct the rest of the day. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen. Brother Scott was supposed to be here this morning to sing, but he got called into work, so he asked if I'd fill in for him. This is a song that's been around quite some time. It's called, Take My Hand, Lord, Lead Me Home. I have seen my last tomorrow I am holding my last breath As my eyes mirror sorrow My life is a debt I'm standing on my own time All my burdens are behind me. I have prayed, I shall pray. Don't you cry. Oh, my buddy, that ain't me. I ain't there. No, I'm standing on the mountain. ♪ I can hear the angels on high ♪ ♪ I am reaching for your love ♪ ♪ Take my hand, Lord, lead me home ♪ ♪ I have said it a thousand times ♪ ♪ I can hear the angels on high ♪ All right, 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. In a series called I'll Be Back, we told you the theme of the book was right living in view of the second coming. Jesus, he's coming back. And so how we ought to live and looking forward to that. Verse 1 says, For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you that was not in vain. But even after that we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. For our exhortation was not in deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile, but as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts." And so we gave you a theme for each of the chapters. Chapter 1 was Pattern. Chapter 2, anybody remember what the title or the theme for Chapter 2 is? There you go. And it's Paul providing for the church at Thessalonica. And then chapter 3 is patrol. Chapter 4 is practice. Chapter 5 is principles. And so we're in chapter 2, provision. And the first thing was entrance for yourselves. Brethren, know our entrance in unto you. Chapter 2 continues with the idea of their faith being well known throughout the entire known world. And he mentions that when he came to them, it wasn't in vain. And again, I've reminded you several times, but he wasn't there a long time. When Paul went into Thessalonica, he was only there probably for maybe a month. And yet out of that came this church. And this church was so well known, their faith was well known all across the entire known world. What a church. So Paul and his band, they prospered, they succeeded, were victorious in this little gathering in this church. And their lives were changed. They were modified. They were transformed by the very power of God through the preaching of Paul. And then second, we talk about the entreated. Verse 2 says, But even after that ye had suffered, even that we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. Paul goes on to reference and It gets a siding, if you will, a remembrance. There was a transition in their lives, yes. There was a victory in their church, yes. There was a transformation in the people, yes. But it was not all easy. It wasn't all trouble-free. It wasn't effortless. Paul thinks back about the anguish that he suffered in Philippi, and we won't take time to read it. I have it written down here, but we won't take time to read it. But we'll read verse 24 of Acts 16, who having received such a charge, the prisoner, or the prison keeper, thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stocks. They were arrested. They were beaten. They were chained. They were in stocks. They were in the inner prison. I mean, they were treated shamefully. And yet out of that, Paul says, he was treated shamefully then, but then they got over to Thessalonica and God blessed in Thessalonica, I think because of their faithfulness. They just stuck with it. In fact, verse 25 says, and at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God and the prisoners heard them. So there was a salvation of the purple dye seller in Philippi, the possessed damsel had the demon and then the prison keeper got saved and all his family. So there was success there, but it wasn't without trouble. And so he says in verse two, but even after we had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. Even after being treated like that, most of us would have said, oh Lord, how come you left us behind? Where are you? Good night. We're trying to live for you, and yet, look what's happening. Well, they did not do that. In the middle of the night, they were singing and praising God. Prisoners heard them. They went through all that suffering, but much good came out of their lives. And then it says, the very last couple, three words, with much contention, talking about once they got to Thessalonica, there was contention there, too. Not only did they have trouble in Philippi, They had contention in the city of Thessalonica with much contention. We get our word, agony, from the underlying word. In Acts 17, 5 says, and gathered a company and set all the city on an uproar and assaulted the house of Jason, he was a fellow believer, and sought to bring them out to the people. There were great victories, there were great triumphs, there were great successes, but again, it was not without pain, not without suffering, not without agony. Intrigued. And why should we think, you know, Paul went through all this trouble, why should we think or surmise or suppose that we're gonna have a bed of ease? GOD NEVER PROMISED US AN EASY LIFE, A LIFE OF PLENTY. HE NEVER PROMISED US A LIFE WITHOUT TRIALS, WITHOUT TESTINGS, WITHOUT SORROWS. BUT HE DID PROMISE HE'D BE WITH US. EVEN THROUGH THOSE TROUBLES, HE SAID HE'D BE WITH US. HE'D GO THROUGH THE TRIALS WITH US. HE'D GO THROUGH THE TESTINGS WITH US. EVEN IF IT'S US AND HIM ALONE. Somebody said if you got God on your side, you already won the battle. But so, and even through the fire. Ash, shad, rak, meshach, and abednego, that'll tell you. Even through the fire, God will be with you. Hebrews 13, 5 says it this way. Be content with such things as you have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. I will never leave thee nor forsake me. Now, he's quoting from Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 31, 8 says it this way. And the Lord, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, Jehovah, and the Lord, he it is that goeth, that goeth, let me see, doth go before thee, He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee, fear not, neither be dismayed. He's telling us He's not going to leave us, He's not going to leave us behind. And we ought to be thankful God is with us. One of my favorite verses when I go visit people in the hospital or when I go to visit sick folks, I like to read Psalm 46, verse 1, to the chief musician for the sons of Korah, a song upon Alamoth. We'll talk about, I'll tell you what Alamoth means in just a minute. But it says, God is our refuge and strength. And then it says, this a very present help in trouble. a very present help in trouble. God's there even in trouble. Says it's for Alamoth. Alamoth means it was sung by a female soprano singer. Perhaps females could only show the compassion or the heart that was required to get across the idea that God will be with us even in our trouble. One more thing I thought about this. Paul had an illness, a malady, some type of thorn in the flesh. And he mentioned that in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 7 says, "...lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." And then he goes on to say this, "...for this thing I besought the Lord thrice." He went three times, and it might depart from me. And he said unto me, "...my grace is sufficient for thee." for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Paul says this most gladly, therefore I'd rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. He says, my grace is sufficient for thee, even when we're going through troubles. And if you read Paul's life, Paul went through a lot of troubles. Verse 10 says, therefore I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches. in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong. God would be strong through him even in weakness. You going through trouble today? Having hardships today? God says his grace is sufficient and that even through your weakness, he'll be strong. through your life. I was thinking how to illustrate this type of thing. How many know who Tim Lee is? Tim Lee, anybody know who Tim Lee is? He's a preacher. But he's also a Vietnam veteran. And when he was in Vietnam, he stepped on a landmine. And before he went to Vietnam, he was a sports star. He was this strapping young man that was very, very healthy, very athletic. He went to Vietnam and his legs were blown off by this landmine. So he lost his leg. He was strong. He was athletic. He was a sports playing person. Now he lost his legs. He lost his ability to run. He lost his ability to even walk because he lost his legs. Can I say this? Now this has been many years ago back in Vietnam, years and years and years ago. These days, now he's a preacher, but these days he goes to Paris Island four times a year. They allow him to come and preach the gospel. Four times a year to all those Marines that are just getting started. They're just starting off in their career as a Marine. They allow him to come and he preaches four times a year the gospel. He would not be able to do that had he not had that accident, if you will, the trouble he had in Vietnam. He would not be able to go. They wouldn't allow him to come. They wouldn't let me come. They wouldn't let our preacher come. They wouldn't let folks, they'd say, oh no, separation of church and state, we can't have that. But this guy, because he gave his legs for the country and he has this history with Marines, they allow him to come preach four times a year. So, even sometimes through trouble. God can bring victory even through our weakness. God can bring strength and bring these things. So what are you trying to say? I'm trying to encourage you. Even when you're going through trouble, God's there. He hasn't left you. He hasn't forgot about you. And whatever God has for you, whatever He's allowed you to go through, maybe He's just having these suffering, these trials, these turnouts. to make it to where you can stand strong for him through those troubles. So, God was with Paul at Philippi. God was with Paul in jail. God was with Paul during his visit to Thessalonica. May I say, God was even with Paul at his martyrdom. In 2 Timothy 4, verse 16, it says, this starts off at my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. But the next verse starts this way, notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me. Even in his time of demise, even in his time when he was going to be the martyr, God still stood with him at that time. God stays with folks. No matter what comes your way, no matter the path, no matter the hardship, no matter the trials, God stays with us and makes us strong even in our weaknesses. In our weakest days, God brings forth good things. So anyway, so there's the entrance, there's the entreated. Paul supplied and equipped and provided the church with what they needed to go and to grow and to know God's power. And again, verse 2 says, But even after they had suffered before and were shamefully entreated, as you know at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention. Then next is an exhortation. Verse 3 says, For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile, but as we are allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth the heart." The exhortation. First off, the word exhortation is an interesting word. Exhortation is in our verse. The underlying word is a very familiar word to the Bible student. Very familiar word to even those that are Bible readers in earnest. And even to those that listen to the Bible and actually, you know, listen, it'll open their hearts. Allow me to read another verse with the same root word. Now, we're talking about exhortation. Paul's there, and he's exhorting the church at Thessalonica, and his word that God uses about his exhortation is a very familiar word. I'll read you another verse that you'll recognize that has the same, it has a root word, it's rooted with the same word. It says in John 14, 26, but the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance. Whatsoever I have said unto you." The word comforter, it comes from that word that means someone that walks alongside somebody, especially to call one's aid, one who pleads in another's cause with one or an intercessor. And the word exhortation is from the same root word, the one where the guy's there, the person's right there with you, walking right with you down the road. The comforter is there. Jesus said he'd send the comforter, another one just like himself, to come back and walk with us through our life. So that's the word comforter, but the same root word is used when Paul talks about he's exhorting them, the exhortation that he had for them. He was there, he was the exhorter, he was the encourager, he was the intercessor on their behalf, walking beside joint partners, a family in earnest. Dr. Barnes has this to say, that is, the exhortation to embrace the gospel. The word seems to be used here so as to include preaching in general. The sense is that the means which they used to induce them to become Christians were not such as to delude them. He's talking about the verse, what he's telling them. He's exhorting them and giving them the gospel and exhorting them and pushing them and walking alongside with them with the very gospel that God gave to him. Think about this. The president chooses or selects or picks cabinet members. I was thinking about this. I was looking up some of the cabinet members that President Trump elect has selected, and the folks on the left side of the wing, the unusual people, They try to describe these individuals that the president has hand-picked to be his advisors. They try to make them sound extreme and outrageous and out of touch. Can I remind you that the former administration has transgender folks, got homosexual folks, got non-binary folks, whatever that means. I mean, you talk about some strange people, they got some strange birds in their group. But the ones that he picked, I'll name just a couple of them. Stephen Moran, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, Trump picked Moran as an economist who served as a senior advisor for economic policy at the Treasury Department during Trump's first administration to chair the Council of Economic Advisors, a position that requires Senate confirmation. In an announcement posted on social media, Trump said that Steve will work with the rest of my economic team to deliver a great economic boom that lifts up all Americans. He chose a guy that knows what he's doing with money. I mean, someone that actually knows what's going on with businesses and money across the country. He chose someone that's going to help. That's one of his close advisors that helps him advise him in the ideas of economic issues. Another one, Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget Director. Vought was previously, who previously led the Office of Management and Budget during Trump's first team, is the present elect's pick to run it again. Russ knows exactly how to dismantle the deep, deep state and end weaponized government. And he will help us return self-government to the people. Trump posted on social media, we will restore fiscal sanity to our nation, unleash the American people to new levels of prosperity and ingenuity. Again, someone that knows something about what he's doing. Someone has a history that knows what he's doing. One more, I'll mention this one, Pam Bondi as Attorney General. Now at the moment she's Florida's Attorney General. He said this about her, for too long the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans. Not anymore. Trump said in a social media post, Pam will refocus the Department of Justice to its intended purpose of fighting crime and making America safe again. Yeah. People that actually have some knowledge and they've got a history behind them know what they're supposed to be doing. And I can read countless of these selections and talk about them, but what I'm trying to get you to see is the president, he confides, he commits issues, he seeks counsel from these folks. Paul was that type of resource to the folks at Thessalonica. He was there to provide them with counsel. He was there to provide them the gospel, provide them some leadership in their life. I got this question. Do you have a cabinet? Now, the president has a cabinet. He puts together a cabinet, these trusted advisors, and he'll listen to what they have to say about the issues, whatever the issues happen to be. Do you have a cabinet? filled with trusted advisors, your pastor should be in there, maybe put the associate pastor in there, a deacon or two, trusted members of the church, even some family, or maybe someone that just has a, if you're looking for some kind of contracting issue with your home, we've got several contractors here that might be a good person to put in your cabinet to ask questions about. to help you. Well, that's exactly what was going on in Thessalonica. Paul was there to meet their needs, provide for them in their growth, first off the gospel, and then as they lived their lives. He mentions there, for our exhortation, walking beside you, helping you along the way, giving you advice, giving you leadership, for our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile. As any good counselor, any trusted confidant you'd have, any reliable exhorter, it'd be not of deceit, not of uncleanness, nor of guile. That's a mouthful. Deceit. You wouldn't want a fraudster, a swindler, a cheat on your cabinet. Some of that would be deceitful. You wouldn't want that. Paul was not like that. He was not a cheat to those dear folks. He was helping them. He was there for them. And not in deceit or uncleanness, morally corrupt or foul or impure. I've seen so many times young people, especially they get hooked up with these folks that are off into God knows what. But they're nice people. If they're nice people, they would run with nice people. If they're doing things that you ought not be doing, those are not the type of people you want to be hooking up with. So he talked about uncleanness. He didn't do what he was doing, nor of uncleanness. He didn't have that in mind. Speaking more of Paul's motives, his manner, his notifications of what he was doing for them. It was all for the Lord Jesus and all for the church members. And then he said, not of guile, crafty guile, tricky, not genuine. He was real. I was thinking of a verse in 2 Corinthians. It's in a different book, but it has the same type of idea of Paul's motivation, helping folks. 2 Corinthians 12 14 says behold the third time I'm ready to come to you for I will not be burdensome to you and then he says this These are interesting words for I seek not yours but you I seek not yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I'll be loved." He's talking about this Corinthian folk. Sometimes they didn't love him even though he loved them abundantly. But he said he was not seeking yours. He wasn't seeking what they had for him. But he was seeking them to help them. That's exactly what he was doing at Thessalonica. He was there for them. He wasn't there for himself. He was there for them. Not in guile or not uncleanness. He was there to help them. the theme of the chapter provision. Paul was telling them, he was explaining to them how they could live their lives for God by the gospel and by living for Jesus. He was there and Paul began it, he started, he initiated the church. He did that all with a clean heart and good thoughts and his mind, it was stable for them. So I was thinking about this. Here's some examples. I read an article, some examples of how to live selfless and you can help others in everyday life. And, you know, these are just certain things. Holding a door open for people behind you. When I go to work, I get to the door when I'm going in, and so many times you walk in, and someone opens the door, and you're right behind them, and they don't even look around. They just, shh, on the, bam, door closes right in your face. Really? I mean, you couldn't be kind enough just to open the door? Letting someone merge on a busy freeway. Oh. Do we even want to go there? Volunteering for an activity at your child's school. about volunteering activity at your church. Giving money or items to a charity or a person in need. Maybe you see someone that maybe needs some shoes or maybe they need tires in their car. hurt you, try to reach out to them. Listening to someone who needs a friend or shoulder to cry upon, helping someone with homework or a project. Complimenting someone or expressing gratitude for their help. Offering to help someone with their chores or tasks. I mean, all these things are just normal things that we can do in everyday life, and I'm sure Paul did all these and then some. to help them provide for them what they needed for the church. I read a story, the kindness of strangers can change lives, like the story of a young family in dire need of help, struggling to make ends meet. They went grocery shopping, and these days you go grocery shopping, have you checked the price of eggs lately? Good Lord. The golden eggs? I thought we were just buying eggs. I didn't think we were trying to buy golden eggs. But anyway, struggling to make ends meet, they went grocery shopping with their last $10, hoping to get a few essentials. At the checkout, the cashier tallied the meager items, milk, bread, and eggs, and told them it came to 20 bucks. Defeated, the mother asked the cashier to void the transaction so they could return the items. Before she could, the man in line behind them stepped forward and handed the cashier a $50 bill. Pan it forward. Please use this to pay for their groceries and keep the change, he said. The family was stunned by this act of generosity from a stranger. He helped when they needed it most and asked for nothing in return. His selflessness gave them hope and enabled them to provide for their children. Wasn't that a nice story? But Paul here, he really did, even through his struggles. I mean, the trials he had in Philippi before he came to them, even the struggles he had in Thessalonica, he still helped these folks and still provided for these folks. They'll go far behind these simple examples we're talking about today, these simple illustrations. He was actually providing for their needs in their life. So, entrance, the entreated, and then exhortation. Paul exhorted without guile, without uncleanness, without deceit, but it goes on. It says, For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor of guile, but as we were allowed of God be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God. which trieth our hearts." No deceit, no uncleanness, no guile, but it goes on to say that they spoke the gospel which was entrusted to Paul. God gave the gospel to Paul to give out. They preached, they heralded, they voiced the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Paul said God entrusted him with this message, therefore he had to preach and pass on this wonderful message. The gospel at that time, if you recall, was a mystery. It was unknown. It was a hidden truth still. Ephesians 6, 19 says it this way, "...and for me," and this is Paul talking, "...and for me the utterance may be given unto me," he's talking about asking prayer for himself, "...that I may open my mouth boldly to make known," then he puts this, "...the mystery of the gospel." the mystery of the gospel, for which I am ambassador in bonds, for therein I speak boldly as I ought to speak." But he says, the mystery of the gospel. Now, in the Bible, when you see that word mystery, it's not the same as what we think about mysteries today. It's something that was hidden before the time that was now being made known, that was now being let folks would know what it is. Dr. Burns says it this way, the word mystery means literally something into which one must be initiated before it is fully known and then anything which is concealed or hidden. We commonly use the word denote that which is above our comprehension or unintelligible, but this is never the meaning of the word in the New Testament. It means that some doctrine or fact which had been concealed. or which had not before been fully revealed, or which has been set forth by only figures and symbols, when the doctrine is made known, it may be as clear and plain as any other." So, before it was hidden, it was obscured, but now Paul comes on the scene with this gospel, this mystery, and opens it up so everybody Can see it. It's clear and plain to anybody now. We indeed we look at the gospel today Well, sure, we know what the gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of jesus. We know that well I Mean, it's almost whole home to us. We know it so well. It's god's truth. It's so obvious But back in that those days it wasn't so obvious It was a mystery that God was using Paul to give out. One of the great mysteries, one of the great unknowns that wasn't clearly seen is not just the gospel, but salvation by grace to the Gentiles. That's you and me. Ephesians 3 says it this way, verse 2, So God gave this grace to Paul so he could spread it out to others. which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel, whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power." He's talking about this mystery of the gospel, and not just the mystery of the gospel, what the gospel did brought Gentiles in too, like those folks at Thessalonica. And like you and I, I'm glad God revealed it to us because that's how I got in. If you're saved, that's how you got in. That's how we all got in, how we were saved, how we were redeemed. The same was for the Thessalonian church. Paul brought this great mystery, this great news, the gospel to the church. It wasn't in vain. It wasn't good for nothing. Paul says he brought this message, this truth, the gospel by the very hand of God, the very will of God, the very wishes of God. And they took it, and they embraced it, and they got saved, and this church was started by Paul in this city. Again, verse 4, "...but as we were allowed of God be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts." And so, he brought the gospel to them and was responsible to God to give them this gospel. And it wasn't for his own personal gain. It was for them. So, entrance, entreated exhortation. Next thing's earnest. Verse 5, "...for neither at any time used we flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God as witness, nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, neither yet of others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ, Paul goes on to say he was speaking the truth, portraying honesty, being earnest in his desires for them. The message was given, it was provided, it was supplied in seriousness and sincerity, and again in earnest. He was giving it to them in earnest. It looks to me like he's pointing back to another visit he had in another city that he wrote about later on. When he's talking about this, when he's mentioning what was going on with them at the Thessalonian church, he says, "...not of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ before." He said, we didn't use any flattering words. We just used regular words. We tried to get right down to the bones. the very bones of the issue, the gospel. You'll no doubt remember Paul's visit to Athens, Areopagus, and we won't be able to finish this, but we'll start. Mars Hill. Paul sees all the idols, and he sees one that's over and over and over again. Evidently, they had these idols all over the city to all these different what they called known gods. But just in case, they didn't want to offend some god that they didn't know, so they put these idols out there dedicated to the unknown god. So Paul takes that and he preaches to them about this unknown God. He says, I'm going to reveal Him unto you. Verse 23 of Acts 17 says for this, For as I pass by and behold your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God, whom therefore you ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you. And Paul waxes eloquent and he uses his education background and he speaks even of their historical poets. Verse 28 says, For in him we live and move and have our being, as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring. The result, the outcome, the product of his speech, and it's addressed, he's at Myers Hill, the place where all the thinkers assembled. When it's all said and done, verse 32 says, and when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some might, and others said, we will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them, howbeit certain men, there was a few, which Claivant him believed, among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. There was a few, but he used wisdom. He used kind of man's wisdom of sorts. He used even their poets and things, tried to use his education to get to them so he could get his message out. And when he left there, when he went to Corinth, and Corinth was the next city he went to, when he went there, He tells us how he came in 1st Corinthians 2 1 and I brethren when I came to you came not with excellency of speech or wisdom Declaring on you the testimony of God for I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified Said I'm not using anything fancy words this time. We're just going to get down and just tell the gospel And that's exactly what Paul was doing there in Thessalonica. For neither in any time used we flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God as witness, nor of men sought we glory, neither of you nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome as the apostles of Christ. They just used plain words. and gave the gospel right down to the lowest common denominator. Paul tells us when he went to Thessalonica, he did not use fancy words, fancy speeches, fancy history, no flattering words. Just the gospel. And we'll pick up there next time. I hope you're getting something out of this book. It's been a blessing to me just studying it and going through it. I hope it's a blessing to you as well. I've got these things written down. We await. We work for Jesus. We remain faithful through trials. Paul was faithful to his trials, and God brought great victory and great blessings to Paul's life. We remain faithful to trials, and we didn't quite get there, but the next question is, will you strive to make it clear? Will you make it clear what the gospel is? We have scheduled time. We've gone knock doors. Thursday night at 645 and then Saturdays at 1045. We actually knocked on doors yesterday. We've gotten knocked on doors that say, well, people just don't receive us like they used to. Well, they may not, but we still need to go out and we take them to gospel, even if it's just a gospel track. I've told people before, sometimes I think it's better the person gets a gospel track, right, and talks to them. Me, I can offend somebody, but a track, it doesn't offend anybody. It doesn't have a color. It doesn't have an age. It doesn't have anything. It's just writing out a piece of paper. So even if all we get to do is leave a track behind, that's a good thing. And I invite you to come out. I mean, that's what Paul was doing. Paul was doing that for Thessalonians. We ought to be doing the same thing for San Antonio. All right, let's pray and we'll be done. Father, I ask that you bless what's been said. Help us to put in practice these things, especially living through trials and being your servant and do what we're supposed to do for you. Bless these folks. Love them. Take care of them. And then we ask for the service to come that you blessed in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. God bless you. Thank you for coming. We'll pick up next time.