Well, good evening. We are going back to 1 Thessalonians 1. And I just want to read the first 10 verses again. And we'll begin to get into it other than the introduction. Excuse me. 1 Thessalonians 1. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy. to the Church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia, who believed For from you the word of the Lord was sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything, but they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. And Father, we do thank you for that precious and glorious, infallible promise that you will and you do deliver us from the wrath to come. Not because we are good and worthy of it, but because your son, the Lord Jesus, who is perfect, Lord, he lived a sinless life. and died a death that bore the sins of everyone that will ever believe on him. And for that, we give you praise that we can rest assured that we have been delivered from your wrath because you have borne us again and you have placed us into your body, the church, and baptized us in. And for that, we are grateful and we give you praise. We do pray that the Holy Spirit, Lord, he who regenerated us, will take the word of God, Lord, and sift it into our hearts that it may settle down and take root and that we may have a confidence and that our faith may be spoken of as was the faith of the Thessalonians, Lord, whom you had planted and established. And we're asking you to do the same for us as a church, individually and collectively, and that you take all the praise. We ask this in Christ's name, amen. We finished up basically introducing and we started to get into the first three verses and going to go a little further into it. Dr. Homer Kent, he was the first president of Grace Theological Seminary and just a champion of many, many scholars. Dr. Zemeck was one of those, Dr. Culver, multiple of men. But he, along with Dr. MacArthur, both says, this book, speaking about the church, I mean, the Church of the Thessalonians, located in Thessalonica, they both said this is a model church. Dr. MacArthur has it in his commentary, and Dr. Kent mentions it in his commentary on the Book of Acts, Acts 17, where we saw that the church was founded. MacArthur says this. It, with reference to the Church of Thessalonica, at Thessalonica, he says, quote, it is not a perfect church, but it is a saved church. It is an obedient church. It is a church that is a delight to the heart of Paul and his companions, Silvanus and Timothy, end quote. So it's a model church, and a model church is a joy to the heart of those founders, as we have already spoken of when we talked about how Paul bored as long as he could, couldn't bear in not knowing what was going on with them, and sent Timothy to find out about them. And if you remember, we were saying chapter 1 really is a good way to look at what Timothy had initially brought back to him rather than chronologically. Remember, we went to chapter 3 to show how Paul basically Explain how he was feeling before he sent Timothy and he was concerned of them losing their hope in chapter 1 they had hope faith hope and love and in chapter 3 that the hope was waning it was he doesn't reiterate it over there and so he sent Timothy to find out and he said in chapter 3 and that man we are living now that they got back and told us about how they are there and what's happening among them we are really really living and And so as Dr. MacArthur and Dr. Kent says, I believe this is a saved church completely. When I say saved church, that means everybody in it is saved. Why is that? I want internal evidence, not external, but internal evidence. Chapter verse one, he says, they are in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 3, they are practicing what's referred to, I just referenced, the triads of grace, faith, love, and hope. They are practicing that. Verse 4, they are the elect of God. Verse 6, they receive the word of God. And you remember the 3,000 in Acts 2, receive gladly, and we can see they receive the word of God. Verse 7, They became examples to the world until the point that Paul said we don't even have to say nothing They themselves the world is saying it about you Verse 8 the word of God went out from them. They was witnessing it was going forth and verse 9 and 10 verse Boy, that's that glorious verse the way they turn to God from idols to serve the truth in the living God and to wait for his son from heaven. So yes, this is a young church, but this is a saved church. And we need to be praying for our church to be a completely saved church. The church is for Born-again believers to be edified it is it is not an evangelistic place and we thank God that when people come in and do get saved that is a blessing but that is not the goal the goal of the church is to equip the Saints for the work of service to to perfect the Saints that Saints do the work of service and and matter of fact Paul in 1st Corinthians he basically says What if? a non-believer come in among you. It's almost, MacArthur once he said, if a believer, unbelievers come in by chance. And so it was not custom for them to be coming. But if they did come and then he heard some crazy foolishness and a blabbering, they wouldn't get saved. But if the word of God was proclaimed, They're the Word of God can convict them. So this is I believe a saved church They'll be living for the Lord as we saw internal evidence and the same with Paul with John when he wrote as a first John you can see it's not a completely saved church there because he said in The second John let me just see but you'll notice that when John And he says some of my children are walking in true and some, but he doesn't say this, so it's not a complete. So that's one reason I agree with Dr. McArthur and Dr. Kent that it is in contrast to. I think that's. Second. Yeah, second John. To the elect lady of her children whom I love in truth, and not only, but also all those who've known the truth because of the truth which abides in us and will. Great, that's not the verse. Verse four. I rejoice greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth. as we receive commandment and verses to all of we've got one through verse 10. You can just see the evidences in Thessalonica of born-again believers. So there could be nothing more encouraging to the heart of a pastor or any other Christian than to see those whom he or she are ministering to growing and walking and living for the Lord. And so I pray that we would be a saved church, a church that Is living for the Lord a church that had evidence not that I'm just I'm just saying but it's evidence that we are growing and continuing to grow no matter how long we've been saying we ought to always be seeking to grow in progressive sanctification because we are not perfect and And if we, and that's what we ought to be aiming. We are aiming for, you know, I don't hear it as much now, but I remember when I first got saved, that was an undertow that, that it was, you know, that you would almost know where, you know, you can't help a sin. That's true, but that not be our goal. Our goal ought to be trying to live without sinning. And that's when John says, I write to you, first John essentially that close, chapter two, verse one and two. Excuse me, my little children these things I write to you so that you may not sin I'm writing this so you don't sin and then he says and if anyone's in another word We ought to be seeking to live in a way that we are doing all we can not to sin and when we do sin immediately confess it and immediately know that I don't have to wallow in it and the reason I don't have to wallow is I have a Savior and Who is a defender and he is my advocate and he defends me immediately because immediately I got someone that's gonna accuse me the devil He accuses the brethren and he will accuse you and he'll accuse me And and he is the only one that defends us. I really love the way this john writes this verse and and he says when he says that if you sin, and if anyone sins, we have. That's ours. We don't have to appeal the Lord. You know, this is who heals to us. We have an advocate with the Father. And so if we have an advocate with the Father, the implication is we need one there. We need one. Why do we need one? It's because we do sin. But we must recognize that my advocate Take care of it for me and and love it and to show the emphasis. It's not just there We know the holy spirit is out there. I know everybody out there know the holy spirit is author of the word of god And notice how he that the title that he gives to uh, the lord jesus our advocate in here and at word advocate It means a defense. It's like a defense attorney in our language. He defends us and so he uh Greta was just Rita. No, Greta said, I'm not coming back from helping. But Rita was just an advocate down at the hospital. She's her defense attorney in a sense. And that's what Jesus is for us. When we do sin, Lord give me the grace today to go through the day without sinning and seeking to do what is right, seeking to tell the truth, seeking not to do it, but when I do sin, then immediately I recognize theologically, factually, not how I feel, that I have an advocate before God defending me What he defends me based upon is that title the Spirit of God gives to him He said we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ a definite article here the righteous that is a article in front of his title the righteous and why is that that that's the specific title that we need for him to have because he's able to defend us on his righteousness not my righteousness and be and now theologically And doctrinally, I have to know that. And if you know that and you say, I believe that, and it's not just a sentence to it, but I sent that, that is right, the reason that is right, this is the word of God, God can't lie. And since this is the word of God and God can't lie, I'm going to trust this. And so when you still feel, oh boy, you feel bad, don't let your feelings lie to you beyond the truth that God's word is the truth and so he says and so the Thessalonians and this is a young church remember act 17 when it's founded it's a young church and I really believe and I can't dogmatically defend it but I really believe that The leadership is merging up among them. They're that young, that there's a leadership that's merging among them. And as it's merging among them in chapter five, I believe it's verse 12 to 14. I believe, you know, you have to believe, not just say. Yes, chapter five, verse 12, he says, and we urge you brethren, to recognize those who labor among you and are over you. So here they are young church, they've gotten saved and God is raising up the leadership among them. And he's saying to them, Recognize, recognize those whom labor among you and are over you. Say, who gave them the right to be over you? God raised them up. God is gonna and admonish you and esteem you very highly in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you. It's a great, putting the capstone on it. We exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly. Comfort the fainthearted or the weakened that kept stumbling. Uphold the weak and be patient with all. He gets it all. He gets, we'll say, the fathers, the mature. They get the young adults that are growing. You get the babies. And he said, just that fickle-minded. The King James Version didn't even use that. It says the fickle-minded, the person who is weak. And nobody says, Be patient with all. And actually, it is to be long-suffering with all. Everybody understand? Because patience is a rule of all. Patient deals with circumstances and situations. Long-suffering deals with attitude, people. The patient is I'm patient in holding out and we but my long-suffering is dealing with people attitudes personality and a great supportive verse for that is a Second Peter 3 9 where he says God is long-suffering not willing that any shit perish what wait a minute God has the right to annihilate us. He has the authority to annihilate us. But he of his own long-suffering doesn't do that. And so long-suffering is that ability to be able to hold the fuse down and be patient or long-suffering with all. Realizing in spiveology, bad grammar, I like to say in leadership, and I don't know if Steve or her, we have to recognize that When we look at scripture, and you know scripture, and you know that this person is, well, you know as best as we can know, this person is a believer. And we know that that person ought to be here. But in reality, they's here, okay? They're here. And we know they're there, and that's what Paul is saying. You be patient with them. and you love them and you admonish them, you do everything. Why? Because the goal is to be able to get them to where they ought to be. How do we do that? Through nurturing through teaching, through instruction, through challenging, through discipline, but you have to love them over there. You can't drag them over there. You can't run. You can't make them get over there. And that's the model. And this church here really was moving on. And so it's their real joy to Paul's heart and joy to Silas or Sylvain, the same person. And so as we look at Go through here. We'll see it even more a little bit better and see how it Stimulate it. Just stimulate when you look at this church and When you look at God moving among them now remember the context remember I went through about what I'm gonna do to eight or nine things I won't have time to count them when we was introducing say it one Keep it bad in Acts 13 to 15 13 14 15 Paul and Barnabas are traveling together and you remember with John Mark and excuse me, John Mark returns home. Appears to me that he was fearful. Dr. Homer Kent, I believe, I'm pretty sure it's him, has an interesting twist on that. Homer Kent believed that John Mark had a jealousy problem. John Mark is Barnabas' nephew. He saw Paul beginning to take over And the reason Homer Kent holds that view is because when John Martin leaves the field and when they come back to the town, Jews Jewish sect which John Mark would have gone to know quite a bit about what has happened and they're upset with Paul You are going to them Gentiles and and and Homer Kent really does a good good pretty sure it's him Who are you now? But whether that's it or not or whether it was he just was fearful we know that he left and he went back Paul and Barnabas has a big fallout because of that because they bought Paul tells Barnabas let's go back to the field and to visit the saints and go back to strengthen them. I think my translation says strengthen, the word really is to prop up. He said, let's go back and prop up the disciples, which we already want. If you remember when we was going through it as one of my favorite passages to show that a disciple is a disciple when they get saved and he is a disciple until he go to be with the Lord or die. He's a disciple in process of growing because he says, we're gonna go back to the disciples and prop them up. Then he preached the Word of God and made disciples So the person who he preached the gospel to became a disciple Those whom they was going back to who already was believers were disciples So you're disciple from the time you get saved until the Lord takes us out of here We are all who know Jesus in a discipleship process of becoming like Jesus Christ and he conformed us to his image and And then Paul takes after John Mark and they go back and him and Barnabas fall out He takes Sylvanus with him word that Luke like he's Sylvanus and Paul or Silas one someone in the same person and they go back and they you remember they get to Lystra and Derby and that's in 14 down in the verse 30 where Paul is stoned into death and And I really believe he died. It's my opinion. I really believe he died. And the reason I believe that he died, the stoning that they was doing was not taking some little rocks to hit you. They stoned him with big boulders. And it says they was accustomed to him being, I think my translation says supposing him to have been dead, but they was accustomed to him for being dead. And so whether he was dead or not, I don't know. But I believe that, it's my opinion, that this very mail may be where Paul was caught up into the third heaven. But then he rolls up, the miracle of it though, Derby, when he leaves and go preach, he walks 30 miles after being stoned with these boulders. Now that's the miracle. And he went back into that same city first, and didn't run. That's the miracle of it. And then they leave from there and they go. He tried to go and the Spirit of God stops him and pretty soon he gets to Troas to that sea and couldn't go any further. And then he gets a message and a vision saying, come over and help us. And that brings them to where Thessalonica, what we saw in Acts 17, where the church was founded. 17, one through nine, the persecution forced Paul to have to leave. So him and Silvanus went to Berea, I believe it is. And from there, yes, they went to Berea. And then in verse 14, Timothy was not with them, but he caught up with them. And so you can see the point I wanna say is, they had to leave this young church. This is a young church, which he was only with them three Sabbaths, which you can take it and it can be three Saturdays, which are known as a Sabbath, or it can be, if you calculate the times when it was, at Bruce's point, it would be four and a half months. Because of the Sabbath that could be be in and based upon what I and I brought the point out of it in the last As much as he taught them Theologically I lean to the four and a half months rather than the three Saturdays and and that he was there with them for what? Doesn't matter what it was. We know that's what happened and then Paul It gets very very very concerned about You remember in verse 3, let me reread that, chapter 3, verse 6, I mean, he says to them, but now that Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news of your faith and love, there he leaves the hope off. And that you always have good remembrance of us greatly desiring to see us as we also to see you And so he says I couldn't wait any longer and then now I sent Timothy and boy now I'm really living it up Because of what's going on on in your life and what he's talking about is your faith, because of what's going on in your faith. Not because you're a super, super student. Not because you accomplished some masterful world goal. Not because of any of that. It's your faith. That's what has me living, because I know you're fine, and I know your faith have not been shipwrecked. And because of that, I am really, really excited about what God is doing there, and I am encouraged. Because remember they are under great affliction over there. They are under great affliction and persecution and yet he is saying I'm Rejoicing at where you are and who you are in the Lord So here Paul goes and he uses Silvanus. Me and Silvanus are going to make a chapter one now and just get into it Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ So he says these are saved individuals. They are all in God the Father so now who other theft who we know Paul is we've met in him, but the Thessalonians and They are one of those groups in the area of Macedonia. Macedonia, you have Berea, you have the Philippi, the Philippians, and you have the Thessalonians. The Bereans, Philippians, and the Thessalonians. And he is writing, and that group was really under severe persecution. And yeah, I got my house up. Stop. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter eight. and nine, but I think chapter eight is the one I want. Yes, verse one, moreover brethren, We make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the plural churches of Macedonia, Berea, Thessalonica, and Philippi. The grace has been bestowed upon the Macedonians, not just one of those churches he called the country. That in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. So here's a church here one of the many of the three at least but here this church is a great trial of affliction and we know from outside of scripture there was on a great famine at the same time there was a great famine there and so they're under persecution there's a great famine going on and yet This church has turned to God to serve the true and the living God and to wait for his coming to a degree that those who didn't know them were saying what kind of impact Paul, Silvanus, and Titus had upon them when they came in there. And what a model for us. to know that, did I really receive the engrafted word of God? Am I turning to serve God and to live for him? Is that the driving force of my life? And they were under, I mean, I could say persecution and severe affliction, but that was their goal. I was reading today, I was praying, but just reading an article about the church in Sudan right now. Some of the miraculous witnessing that has taken, they died. I'm getting killed. And yet here they are. And I had that, Lord, would I do that? You know, would I be able to do that? Give me grace, Lord, because, you know, I like comfort. I like to be comfortable, you know, and I don't like hurt. And so, Lord, give me grace. And I know your grace, because I see them, your grace. And I know they can't do that in and of themselves. Give me the grace and give me a desire that you are the gold and that's what a Thessalonian They are a godly people and we're gonna see as we go through here. Just how Gracious God and so many great lessons for us to learn learn from them from that early church period Steve did the thing on the book of Acts and and you know one of the things that I was hoping to get to the day and is but if you read Acts 4 and 5 and Because next time I'm gonna make the argument and it's for to encourage it because we can sometimes think I need to look like Keith or I must not be being blessed but in Acts chapter 4, I think it's three times, but you'll find where it says and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. I believe in verse 31, 32. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, you know who was in that church? Ananias and Sapphira. But they, like the apostles, they, like everybody else in there, was filled. Mary, who was there, Jesus' brother, James, was there. We know from chapter one that his brothers was there, who writes books. They all were there, including Ananias and Sapphira. What does that mean? They were filled. As in the very next chapter, they're going to get killed, executed. Blessed thing is to see, here is this group, here are these persons who certainly are far from perfection like me, and yet they were filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Beloved, we can be controlled by the Spirit of God. God is a faithful God. And we have to look at, now there are those who argue, and I think I'm gonna argue the case that they are believers, because there are those who say, well, no, they're not believers. Most of them are the same ones who say, Paul was not a believer in Romans 7. But they are believers. And the reason we know they are believers is Peter says to them, why have you let Satan fill your heart with that lie? You didn't lie to me, you lied to God. Why? You don't have to, the non-believer don't have to let Satan do it. The Bible says in 1 John 5, 19, the unbeliever, the whole world lies in, matter of fact, it uses the rocket moment. He's in the sway of the devil. And so we know we can support that they are believers and yet they were Be over the spirit of God and the very next chapter. Well, it's a great great intimidation there That's why I believe paul can say knowing the terror of the lord We are we need to live every day in the light of that god is our gracious and merciful god But he is a serious god who hates sin Don was sharing of some of their study and she's saying well, you know god is serious. God is serious. Amen Father we thank you for your word. We'll thank you for your people We pray, God, that you give us a hunger and a passion for your truth, a willingness to take it, sit underneath it, and Lord, as the book of James say, look intently into your word, staring and gazing in it, and then, Lord, being able to appropriate it, not walk away as a hero. For that, we'd be grateful and give you praise in Christ's name, amen.