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I'll speak to the soul.
Thessalonians, Chapter one.
Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus unto the Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace unto you in 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 and labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father. Knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God for our gospel came not unto you in Word only, but also in power.
And in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what manner 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 Ghost. So that ye were in samples to all that believe in Macedonia, in Aki. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia, in Aki, but also in every place your faith to God were to spread abroad, so that we need not to speak anything.
For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in He had unto you, we had unto you. And how He 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, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
Perhaps most of us are familiar with but Paul.
This was the first epistle that he wrote.
And it was written to young converts that perhaps had been saved only about 3 weeks.
All and Silas, as we know, were shamefully entreated. Excuse me, I have to walk around and speak. Paul and Silas were.
Shamefully and treated in Philippi and they came from Philippi to Thessalonica they were.
Bearing the scars of Christ. And that didn't hinder Paul from announcing the glad tidings to these heathen Gentiles. There were Jews among them, but most of them were Gentiles steeped in idolatry, worshipping other gods.
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And Paul pressed in spirit, just after being imprisoned in Philippi and beaten and driven up to the city, you might say he changed the festival of nightmare.
With fresh power to present the gospel to these people. It's marvelous the energy of the Apostle Paul. Nothing damages zeal to preach the gospel to these people who are speech and idolatry and false religion.
And so we have in this epistle a marvelous unfolding, if I might say, of how a young convert should be treated, because these were three years, 3 weeks old and has never been visited by any other apostle that we know of. And so Paul.
Presents the gospel of Christ in all its power.
And preciousness to these hearts. And there was a tremendous response. However, Paul was driven out of Thessalonica by persecution. So we know from the context that these young believers were suffering.
Tangible persecution. In a real way, they were suffering for Christ and the apostle Paul.
That brings out.
Truth of the Lords coming in every chapter beautifully instructs them and nourishes them, not so much as an apostle, but as a shepherd, as a teacher, as a pastor. He really loved those Thessalonians. He was willing. You know, when Paul went to Thessalonians, Thessalonica.
Didn't take any money from the Thessalonians.
He didn't take $1.00. He worked with his old hands day and night and preached the gospel to those precious souls, didn't take any money from them. That's brought out in the second chapter affectionately desired desires of you. So I think that brethren, there's much profit for us in this epistle. It's it's a marvelous unfolding of the heart of God and the Lord's coming. It's very.
Largely addressed in these officials, very largely more so than in any other part of the world, I would say We have the Lords coming and the Lord Superior.
Have a lot in connection with prophecy in the second official because they were eating attacked by Satan was attacking them on every hand and that that's what happens in West Bengal, India where they preach the gospel.
Powerfully Satan Satans Kingdom is being assailed and he doesn't leave them alone. And you won't leave us alone either if we follow the example of Paul here. May the Lord bless those few.
Today, if you went over to that region of.
Would be about two hours drive from Philippi, about another hour or 45 minutes drive to Marine. Also mentioned in the 16th and 17th chapter.
Of the book of Acts, another city mentioned there is the city of Minneapolis and I believe it was the 1St place that the Apostle Paul put on European continent. I had the privilege several years ago and standing on a hillside overlooking that city of Neapolis and then going on to Philippi, seeing many of the ruins there that still.
Remain from that time.
And the supposed prison where the apostle Paul was held, and also the stream where Lydia and the other women were found, also had a chance to go on to Thessalonica, where there are no ruins today. We had no contact with any believers there, but it was still thrilling to get into that city. And then we went on to Berea again.
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No believers that we ran into, but it was so thrilling to read of the energy.
Of those in that city who searched the scriptures daily and.
It well becomes us to follow their example.
This epistle was written from torrent about.
8053 or so fairly close to that.
We know from the book of Acts that there were some believers from among the Jews who were there at Thessalonica and believed Lydia and household the Philippian. I'm sorry, I'm getting the wrong one. That's all I can just after that they went there, but they they went to the synagogue and and they were rejected is what I was getting at. And yet there were a few who believed before they went on to Berea. Wasn't it brother? So these were from the Jews and.
Yet not all there were many Gentiles who then believed later on and that's what we have at the end of this chapter. The the Gentiles were they turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God in the way for her Son from heaven. So a few Jews composed this assembly and mostly Gentiles. And what it says here in the beginning is beautiful. It says Paul and Sylvanus and Timothy, Timotheus unto the Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God.
The Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. So they were those who had followed many idols out of the world, and they were.
Into gross idolatry when they heard the gospel and they believed and we're saved. And now Paul starts out the epistle this way to encourage him with these words, doesn't he? He says, no, you're not in any of that anymore.
It's the assembly of the Thessalonians in God.
The Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, they were in something entirely different, and as far as I understand that expression is only found here in Colossians 3.
You are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. That is our place. Whatever may have been before and now this is where we all are. It doesn't matter where we came from, 2:00 or Gentile, we're brought into this incredible place. Outside of all that, we were safe in God.
What? What a thing to be encouraged about and to be comforted and to know that God has put us apart from all around in Himself.
I saw a brother already remarked in regard to this book. The Lord's coming is mentioned repeatedly, and rightly so. That is a blessed hope that we all should have within our hearts.
Each chapter has a little bit different character in a sense in regard to the Lord's coming. So we find perhaps just look at it quickly before we get into detail of the first chapter. At the end of the first chapter we see a talk about the Lord's coming.
So let's just read that there verse 9 and 10 for they themselves show us what manner of entering in us we had unto you how you turned from God. I'm sorry how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Notice there is a semi colon there. So the thought continue and to wait for his Son from heaven whom he raised from the dead. Even Jesus, which deliver us from the wrath to come. So it tells us that the moment they turn.
To God from idol, that's the first thing they have learned in a sense, the blessed hope they have the Lord coming should be very dear to them. So for many of us who perhaps have heard or learned this since we were a child, sometimes we don't value it, but it's something we should shouldn't it? That the coming of the Lord should be very dear to us for the moment that we are saved. In the second chapter we find through at the end there.
Let's read the last two verses. Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul once and again. But Satan hindered us. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?
Are not even in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ as his coming. So as we perhaps have a little sense earlier on talking about we have difficulties in our lives. So here we find even the apostle that Satan hindered him and we have understand that those hindering.
Is ordered by God, but it shouldn't stop the enjoyment for it. So he raised that question for those who has been redeemed. What is your joy I'm sorry. What is your hope or joy or crown of rejoicing. So it's something that we should we should have that before our hearts too and then be reminded of all those things are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming.
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Now in the third chapter.
We find that it tells us that again. Let's read the last two verses again, chapter 3 And the Lord made you to increase and abound in loved one, toward another, and toward all man, even as we do toward you to the end, He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with the Saints. So he tells us a little bit more.
How there is a coming, but he distinguished it a bit, the coming with the Saints. And we are to be established. Our hearts are to be established because we know there will be the coming that we have with the Lord. But wait a minute, how do we come with the Lord that is coming unless we are taken out of this scene first. So in the 4th chapter that we often look at to encourage one another. Some were concerned about what about those that who have gone before.
Those who died before the Lord's coming, what happened to them? So he was able to tell them that when that child come, the voice of the Archangel there, he said there, the Lord's coming is different in that sense. He doesn't come as if he's going to come and touch his feet on this earth. He's going to come in the clouds. So he said that the dead in Christ shall rise first. Those who have been gone, they will rise first from the grave, from wherever the body could not be in. Well, what if they were eaten and torn by lions as a martyr? No, they will become first. What if they were burned and there's no physical?
Body left they will rise, they will rise 1St and then as if we which are alive and remain We're not going to lose out neither we are going to be caught up and they said together in the in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord. That's how we have to be taken away, ****** away from this world so that we what we can come back with him as he come back to reign. So the Lord's coming if you want to think of it are in 2 installments.
One is the Saints to be when they come the first time, take us out of this world, and then he comes when he come to execute judgment, then we will come back with him. Then the 5th chapter, we won't go to the the other one in the 5th chapter. Then he talked about you know this case is the 1St 2 verses, not the last, but of the times and seasons. Brethren, you have no need that I write unto you for yourself. No, perfectly that.
The day of the Lord's soul cometh as a thief in the night.
The Lord's coming as a thief in the night and never referred to the rapture. This is referred to when He come to execute judgment. Times and seasons again is another phrase that does not refer to Christians. So this here speaks of His coming to execute judgment. So in these five chapters, as we go through them, we'll see the different character in a sense of the Lord's coming.
There was a real transformation, as we have here in verse 9, the verse that was read.
They turn to God from idol.
But there's a positive aspect too, isn't there? To serve the living and true God in the book of Acts there at least two other examples.
In connection with those turning to the board, there's one incident that's given in the 9th chapter in the case of the healing of Aeneas and in verse 34.
Peter says on to that man had kept to his bed for eight years.
Arise.
Jesus Christ maketh the whole arise, and makes thy bed in the Rose immediately. And all that dwelt at Vida, and Sarah Sarin saw him and turned to the Lord. So there's a pronounced turning to the Lord, isn't there? And again in the 11Th chapter in connection with the church at Antioch. Antioch, and in verse.
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20 And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believe and turned onto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem, and they sent forth Barnabas that he should go.
As.
Are as Antioch, who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was fled, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. So there was an immediate response when that message was received in Jerusalem, that they had turned to the ward. And so Barnabas is sent forth as far as Antioch.
When we go back to the chapter, we find the apostle Paul introduced himself very differently. We find in the book of Ephesians he'll say Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ. That's interesting how he has to state his apostleship or his authority and will find in the Philippians that he would say point to most years.
Servants of Jesus Christ and then we find in other chapters it will say they'll call himself the prisoner of Jesus Christ. But here in our chapter, they just simply say Paul, Sylvanus and Timotheus unto the Church of the Thessalonians. He's not exerting any authority here. He's he's encouraging them, isn't he? He's speaking to them as if it was in a similar level to encourage them there. He can he can commend them. What a way to open up his book or his letter.
He noticed, he said, we give thanks to God always for you, making mention of you in your prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God our Father. What commendation? I'm thinking if someone were to write a letter about us or perhaps our assembly, but we find them mention that. Well, we know they'll say they give thanks to God for us.
But there he can say to them that the work of faith, you can't have someone change. It's not a political letter where you write something flattery. Here he's actually commending them of the faithfulness, the labor of love and so on. What a nice way for him to commend his brother.
There's a very special place that young converts have.
In the sight of of God the Father and brother Tim touched on it and a verse that comes to mind to think of the Thessalonians is the blessing of the youngest son of Jacob by Moses and Deuteronomy 33.
That would be Benjamin Deuteronomy 3312 And of Benjamin he said, the beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him. And so we have the church, which is in God the Father. It's a very tender place, while safety safely by him. And the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.
I think some of us, maybe many of us, have the memory of what it was for our father to pick us up.
And to put us up on his shoulders, you know, was a kind of AI still remember it. I love that when he would put me up on his shoulders and you just felt like you're invincible up there. You're dwelling between his shoulders, that place of strength. And you let you know Dad would get tired after a while, put you down, but you could just stay there. It was a wonderful place to be. And this young assembly, these young converts had a very special place.
In the heart of God the Father in their youth in that way, and they did in the apostle apostles heart as well. He says in chapter 2 and I think that's why you know, perhaps that Apostolic.
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Introduction. As you were mentioning, Brother Dave is perhaps dropped off. He says we were like a nursemaid with her own children among you. He just had such a tender care. You know, there's one that stands out in such contrast with that.
And that's Gahesai, the servant of Elijah, Elijah who when Damon came and embraced the God of Israel and was sent away in peace by Elijah Gahes, I said, I'm going to take something from him and went after him and the leprosy of name and clung to get his eye for the rest of his life. That was an offense to God. He had a very special care for that young convert. And so he does. And we need to, too. There's so much to learn, you know, when you're like that. It's so wonderful to have, as we had read there of Benjamin, to take a young convert under the wing.
So much instruction. You know, Paul had been there a short time and it says if we look back at Acts that the the rabble rousers stirred up by Satan to oppose the truth of God says these men preach another king other than Caesar. So from the very beginning Paul had introduced to them that the Lord Jesus Christ was the coming king.
To introduce them to the thought that he was going to come and establish his Kingdom. He didn't have a lot of time to convey many things and all their details.
But he made sure they got that. And now he's writing this epistle because there's a lot of detail to fill in, but he made sure they got that point right up front, and that's a important part of.
With a new convert to the Lord Jesus Christ is to bring before them the hope of the believer, the Lord's coming not just for them, but that he's going to come and establish his Kingdom and have his rightful place.
To be close to someone who has.
All power, all wisdom, And who is?
Love itself would inspire confidence in that one. And it's striking how many times the apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, and he mentions it here to the Thessalonians in the second chapter, writes about how he had confidence in you, in the Lord.
At the end, very end of the book of Acts, when Paul had been through all of that, and I assume he had already written the epistle to the second Epistle to Timothy, and there he is under restraint and he teaches, receives all that come in unto him.
Teaching them. Let me turn to it, I think it says with all boldness.
Teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding them.
And so you know.
It sounds almost silly to say it, but we need to have confidence that the Lord knows what He's doing when he starts a work. This was a work in the Spirit of God. And yes, it was only three weeks, but Paul didn't leave. And then and then get in touch with brethren in another place and say, well, why don't you guys go over there and you can maybe be received over there. You go back to Philippi or you go down to Berea, which he hadn't been to yet, or you go back across the water into Ephesus or somewhere.
You know, you go on for a few years and maybe the Lord will spread his table there. No, it was a work of the Spirit of God and he raised them up and Paul could see it and he had confidence in the Lord in spite, as Steven was saying, the difficulty that swept in so quickly, and yet he could stay here. There was a work of faith already, a labor of love, and though it was being challenged and would be taken up later in both of these epistles.
There was patience of hope and the enemy was seeking to attack their hope and and undermine their patience. But it's a good thing for all of us when we see the Spirit of God working somewhere, you know, not to get all weak in the knee and and pessimistic.
Thinking that we have to resort to other means and methods and men.
That the Lord can do His work and raise up that which is needed to sustain the testimony that He raises up.
Other thing that is noticeable in the epistle.
References to the Lordship of Christ. I think these epistles you have more references to the Lordship of Christ than any other book in the New Testament.
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That is a personal relationship.
We may know the Lord is our Savior and deliverance from a lost eternity through the work of Calvary, but have we acknowledged Him as our Lord, as the one in control of our lives? That we are no longer our own or have the right to to choose for ourselves, but we belong to the Lord and He is to direct our steps I think if I remember correctly.
In this first epistle, the Lordship of Christ is mentioned 25 times.
And in the second official something like 20 times. So it it was a burden upon the heart of the apostle. Remember that these converts were babes. They had little knowledge of the truth. And that was one of Paul's exercises. There might be two things established and 2nd comforted or encouraged.
That's why he sent Timothy chapter 3 to establish them. They come out of hedonism. Immoral practices were rampant there.
Paul speaks of those things in chapter one. We have the vital signs of true conversion, but later on we have the teaching of the sanctification, which is very important.
Sometimes we may look at this and say, well, we're not really preaching for those who are idle worshippers, so we don't really see the fact that many will turn from idols to God. But I believe we can take that application even among ourselves here this afternoon. We have people perhaps, or I should say we have some, maybe have not a very good grasp of the word of God. Maybe we have younger ones that we assume they should know.
But they don't know it is our responsibility, isn't it, to treat or to go back to the very fundamentals at times. Because often even when we talk, we assume, you know, certain stories. So as we go on to expand scriptures, we assuming that the stories and verses that we quote that you should understand. So it's important to go back to the basic of things. But then too, we will look at and say, well, perhaps this brother didn't expound it properly and and you are so right and often.
Perhaps we didn't expand it properly, but here he's reminding them, let's let's just look at verse 4, verse three. They were commended of the hope and so on. Verse four, he said, knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God. Well, we have to go back to the book of Romans, don't we? Predestinated and election. God has chosen us before the foundation of the world.
So you may say, well, the brother didn't present the word properly, it's OK, it's the Word of God. We need to leave that in his hand. Let's go to verse 5. For our gospel came not until you in Word only. Yes, so right, we preach the Word and rightly so, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost do we recognize that what we say should always be the Word of God and let the Word of God do the work rather than our enticing words.
Is the Spirit that works in the heart, isn't it God's the one that Abel to grow a tooth, to open those hearts and to lead them on? So it goes on and say, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what, man of man, we were among you for your sake.
To go back to verse 2.
Since we give thanks to God always for you all making mention of you in our prayers. It's very similar language to Romans chapter one, the apostle Paul thank the Lord for the Saints, which I think is is a word to me because sometimes I forget to do that. It's a good thing to do to to give thanks to the Lord for our brethren helps have a right attitude, I think towards one another too. But on the other side of it, we find part of why that even was in verse 3.
It was already mentioned they were going on well at the beginning. My brother mentioned already that the things that were so well at the beginning had slept. And the apostle we find in chapter three was despairing for a time as to whether they continued that way. And indeed when he got the report back, he found out they were continuing to do well, at least in the faith and the hope. How we get that in in chapter 3 and verse six, he says Timotheus came from you.
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Unto us and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity or love that you have good remembrance of us always doesn't mention the hope there, but they were still going on well and so that's really another part of this. Do we give reason for our brethren to thank the Lord for us. I think it's good both ways to to be involved in.
Thinking about what our brother Bruce shared about having confidence in God's work rather than putting confidence in our work and what we can do.
And with that in mind, I'm going to ask a question and if someone has had a thought about it I'd like to hear that. But if not, I don't want to take us aside or take up time on this. But it's always been a curious thing to me that.
The contrast between the way that Paul's ministry, that his preaching was received and were not received really in Thessalonica but was received in Berea. And it says they were more noble. They received the word with readiness of mind. They would search the scriptures daily to confirm what he said and yet you never hear of an assembly in Berea.
And that's always been a curious thing to me.
You think they would would have been a really nice, strong and firm and well established assembly in Berea, considering that that they received the word, but you never hear about that. I maybe there was and and we just don't bet it's I just wonder if anyone ever had a thought about here in the midst of this where you would think and and this goes back to what Bruce shared, you would think that you would think the opposite would happen. How would how would there be an assembly established in Thessalonica?
And not in Berea.
You look back at the account and Acts chapter 17.
Two things. Sometimes when.
This subject's taken up, and those in Berea are spoken of as more noble. It's presented as if the Christians in Berea were more noble. That's not what he's saying. The Jews in Berea were more noble. The Jews in Thessalonica were not. They stirred up the people against Paul, but the Jews in Berea were more noble.
They did not. That's strictly the contrast, not between Christians and Christians. It's the synagogue, the Jews and Thessalonica and that bria. Secondly, the consequence is mentioned.
Therefore, verse 12. Therefore, many of them believed.
So even though specifically if assembly isn't mentioned, I would think we would draw from that that there certainly was one there.
Perhaps they were going on well enough that they didn't get a letter.
It was mentioned.
By her brother when he suggested the chapter. A lot in this for for young believers.
To get established in the pathway. And I think this book, if I'm mistaken perhaps is the first book that the apostle Paul wrote. It seems like the Lord, when he went back to glory, could hardly wait to.
Give a message out about the rapture that would be in more detail.
He spoke of of himself coming back for his own in John 14, but it seems like he wanted his people here to have the comfort of knowing his return. And so we haven't this epistle, a lot of detail about the Lord coming for the Saints.
There's other things in here, though, that be an encouragement to young people. I'll just mention a few of them in chapter one. There we have verse 4 election.
And then in verse five, we have the Trinity, his word, power, Holy Ghost, we have assurance mentioned there all these things so important to us as whether we're young or old. But if you want to learn these things, a lot of the doctrines of the apostle Paul are given in this epistle, most of them. And then in in verse nine, we have turned to God from idols as conversion.
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Which is simply turning away from whatever you're going on with.
If you're not the Lord's and to turn to him for forgiveness as conversion. So they turned to God from idols. And then #10 or the next one is number tenth verse to wait for his Son from heaven. The hope of the Lord's return to wait for his Son from heaven. Then as we go over a little farther in the book.
Chapter 2.
And that chapter brings out our walk should be consistent with our position before Christ. And so verse 12 That you should walk worthy of God who have called you onto his Kingdom and glory and added verse four. We have sanctification mentioned in verse three that we're set apart for God. Every believer has been set apart not only positionally, but then we have responsibility for practical.
Sanctification to keep ourselves holy and so that we might be used for God. So there's a positional sanctification which has already been done on the cross by Christ, but then there's a practical sense sanctification that we're responsible for. And then we have in verse five or verse chapter 5 and verse two, we have the day of the Lord mentioned.
And.
The last one I was had here was that in verse 23 of chapter five he brings out that.
We're man is a try being his body, his soul and his spirit. So there's a lot of information in this one chapter for all of us, but especially young believers can learn a lot about the Apostle Paul's doctrine.
Any advice from the Lord that we have from him in this chapter? I think brother John when he mentioned this chapter he was thinking of the young brothers and sisters here that that want to go on for the Lord. This is a real good chapter.
I wonder if his statement in verse 4, Knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God is a bit of a balance to the praise that He gives to what was going on in their lives in verse 3.
He sees the work of faith, the labor of love, the patience of hope.
In verse six he commenced them again. He became followers of us and of the Lord. You had much joy of the Holy Ghost, but.
In verse four, he says, knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God, this was God's work and it wasn't a work as we would say of one day or two. And it wasn't as if he just in passing said, you know what, Thessalonica, that's a pretty big city. I think I'll save some people there as someone already quoted every believer as an individual.
Should realize, because it's true, that you were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
And this is a truth that is good for the babes in Christ.
When I was first converted and brought to the meetings.
There in rural Maine, I remember the older brothers teaching me there in the meeting and at the kitchen table because they used to like to tell a story about a converted man. And he came into one of the brothers kitchens and he kept saying when I found the Lord, when I found the Lord, when I found the Lord. And he was really kind of pounding his chest a little bit in happiness about what he had done.
Finally, the older brother got a little exasperated and just said, brother, you didn't find the Lord. He found you. And a matter of fact, you weren't even looking for him. And that was a story that they passed on to each other down through the years. And so it's good to learn. And perhaps everyone in this room that's old enough to to listen knows the analogy used that you come up to a building, you come up to the meeting room in Palmyra, there brown building. And it's as if on the outside it said, whosoever will may come.
And maybe you in your own soul, you can remember when the gospel message appealed to you, and maybe you were nervous and sitting in your seat and trembling.
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I can remember that moment in my youth when when I my heart was pounding like I thought it would break.
With this decision before me.
And we all thought that when we believed, it's something we did, and we did do something we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. But as the brothers would teach us, we go inside this building and you look up over the same door, and you see chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
The truth of election is a truth that needs to be taught to babes. It's a foundation truth.
It's not something to be debated, and only one who ignores it is woven through the entire New Testament. John teaches it and Paul teaches it and Peter teaches it and you and I need to teach it and to understand it. And what does it do? It leads you to a place in your soul when you say.
Why me?
Like to look at something in verse 50? Sorry, go ahead.
And that why me?
Sorry, I didn't mean to be discourteous. Now why me? Is is is the gap between your inability to answer that question yourself and the fact that you have the question honestly is That gap is filled up by worship.
As the Lord told the woman at the Well of Psycho.
He has the heavens filled with servants.
If, like Elijah could say to us today, Lord, open their eyes, we'd see them all around us.
He has servants, He wants worshippers, He wants those that enter into the things that are the most precious to him.
And that's what worship is, the enjoyment with the Father of His beloved Son, and to stand, so to speak, behind His Son and to rejoice at the love of a Father. He chose us, He chose you. He didn't choose us as a group, He chose you individually.
The time came, he called you and.
That's how you came inside this wonderful place, and that's why me, the Lord had a why me too. And it was on Calvary's cross.
He said why that's thou forsaken me.
The only sinless one was Forsaken.
And we have the answer to that because he loved you and he loved me.
And he loved his father. And so when you get down and discourage and trials come into your life, that's another time you might say, why me? Why is this happening to me? I woke up in the middle, wake up in the middle of night. And I mean.
Ridiculous pain. Why me? Well.
Answer to all these things. He's chosen us, He loves us, He orders our lives and it's a basic thing to lay hold of is that our blessing and our privileges are all because of Him and nothing that you did.
That's why He can fit us and does fit us to be worshippers. I'm sorry. No, it's enjoying what you said. Now I was just noticing something in verse five connection with that speaking about the election of God. He goes on in verse five and says our gospel came not unto you in Word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance.
What was that? That was the gospel coming as a work of the Holy Spirit of God. And what was he doing? He was assuring them.
Of their election.
He wasn't leaving them in doubt. He wasn't letting them wonder. Which is exactly what any true work of the Holy Spirit is, isn't it? To bring us into that knowledge that it didn't depend on us, it was a work of God. He did this before the foundation of the world. He made the choice. And if he made the choice, then what do I have to worry about or to fear? And doesn't that give assurance? Today there is so much that claims to be of the Spirit of God among charismatics and others. They they claim that they're characterized by that. And this is the one thing they all universally deny.
This very point.
That God has chosen us and so they don't have this assurance at all.
These ones dead because it was a true work of a Spirit of God. So any true work of the Spirit of God will give us to know our election of God and it will come with that assurance so that we can be the worshippers you're Speaking of.
It's not a truth that's intuitive, so to speak.
To us as as new converts, we need the revelation of the Scriptures to bring this home to us. That beautiful illustration of that is found in the Gospel of John chapter one. Gospel of John, chapter one.
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And verse 43.
The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
Now Philip was of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathaniel, and saith unto him, We have found him.
Oh, wait a minute, that's not what we read. We just read that the Lord found Philip.
But in the experience of his soul, he's not lying, he's just saying it how he experienced it. And that's why we need the revelation of Scripture as to the truth of election and God's sovereign choice, because it's not our experience. And when we're newly saved, that experience really figures very largely in our lives.
I think if you turn back again to Acts 17 in regard to what you've said about experience in the Scriptures.
Think it's there where it says the.
Reasoned. See if I can find this here.
Perhaps my eye doesn't see it, but they reasoned I'm sorry. Verse two of the same chapters, Acts 17 and two.
This was in.
Thessalonica Paul as his manner was, went in unto them in three Sabbath days, reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. That is, you build understanding out of what the word of God says, and you go from there. You bring your experience to the word of God and judge the word of God by your experience. You're going to find shipwreck. But the other way around is what I learned the practical reality as a believer, young or old.
I need to evaluate the circumstances of my life based upon what Scripture says about them. That's the way I meant to process the circumstances of life. That's the way I meant to understand things. Do I understand exactly how or why?
That the Son of God in the past eternity in concert with Father would pick me.
I do not, and you don't either.
But it's so, and I read it, I believe it.
I can say that I understand it in my limited way and I move forward in liberty and assurance, as Tim was saying, based upon it.
I thought to emphasize the Spirit of God here because they were under the influence. They were under the. I don't like to use the word influence. The Spirit of God is not an influence, but he's a person.
They were under the control of the sphere of thought here, and that's what gave them, though they were very young in the truth. It gave them apostrophe for intelligence.
The apostle goes on here to unfold through them Very.
Special truths, revelations that were not given to any other group of believers in chapter 4 and the two parts of the Lords coming which generally is confused and christened them today. But I was just thinking that the Holy Ghost was not breathed in. These young conflicts were never exhorted to be sealed with the Holy Spirit.
But we are exhorted to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The sealing of the Holy Spirit comes when we believe in the finished work of Christ. Weakening and sealing are not the same thing. I think we understand that.
But in Ephesians 5, there's definitely an exhortation to be filled with the Holy Spirit. If I'm going to be filled, I have to get certain things out of my life. I'm going to fill a room with chairs. I better get other things out that are taking up space there. For another illustration, I've been invited to Brother Steve's Steve Stewart all different times and that I'm giving my room there in the hall.
I appreciate this hospitality, but if he comes along and says, John here at Confidence in You and here's the keys to every room in the house, well then I fill the house.
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I'm no longer confined to my room.
But I'm filling the house, I have access to every part of it and that's what the Lord would have in our lives that we are yielded to the Spirit of God that he that we get those extraneous or.
Evil things out of our lives so that the Spirit of God is not hindered in His operation, operating in our soul because we're told. I think maybe it was mentioned, breathe not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Hope you already had your redemption. That's the redemption of the body.
Sealed unto the day of redemption. Sealed. Even if you fail, even if you sin, you are still sealed with the Holy Spirit.
But he can no longer comfort you. Instead of comforting you, he grieves you. He recruits you about something in your life or my life which is contrary to the holiness of God or whatever it is. This these Thessalonians in the freshness of first love, I think it's so encouraging to read it. They were yielded to the Spirit of God and his work in their soul.
I just like to mention.
One other thing on election.
Election brings a thought forward that.
We have been elected for something.
You know, have people running down the states here, same as home, they, they put their names in as a candidate and they.
Want to be elected?
Perhaps to a?
Government job somewhere and so they put their name in us or elected in they have a certain function that they're required to do that goes along with the office that they that they run to fill.
I saw what thought the way it works with God, we don't put our names in and after to elect us.
God elects whom He wants. I don't have to know why God elected me. I don't need to know that, nor could I know it anyway, but God elected me. What I do like to know though, why? What has God liked him before? You know, there's a purpose why God has elected me. I think we have it in the chapter we go down to.
Verse 9.
It says there that.
How you turn middle of that verse, how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and the true God. In the broad sense, that's what we're elected for, to do, to serve God here in this scene.
Now there may be I would have another question. Well, OK Lord, and in serving and serving you, what is it that exactly you want me to do in serving you. And the Lord may reveal something to you that He wants you to do. You may have, He may give you some gift of ministry or whatever it might be, and you can serve the Lord in that way. But.
The Lord has elected each one here.
For a purpose.
To serve him. That's a broad sense, but then there's other categories within that also in ways that we can serve the Lord. It's important to understand that we think of election and we think in the world sense somebody runs for election, they get elected in, they have a certain function to fill and that's that's election. But in God's word, it's God does the election.
The elections, whoever he will and but he has a purpose. That's the thing to remember.
Everyone of us here, God has elected. He is given a purpose to fulfill. There's a general sense also that we know that God's.
If we could say ultimate purpose here on the earth is to manifest himself, and he did that in the sun and then after.
The Lord's death and resurrection and ascension, he manifests his life and nature through the corporate Christ, you might say through the assembly. And so that's his purpose. And so part of our election is one brother once put it, he said God does not so much want us to do for him as he wants us to be for him and to be something for him. And corporately we are to be a testimony to his life in nature. So.
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We find ourselves part of that great plan to manifest Christ in this scene. We can hang our heads in humility and thankfulness that we're included in that great plan.