[0:00] Well, to get us started, I have a video I'd like to share, but also, I just want to encourage! any of you who have not gotten a study guide to pick one up, but I also want to encourage you that, you know, it can be a little overwhelming. There's a lot in here, and this isn't meant to make you feel overwhelmed, or to make you say, I've already missed so much, I won't be able to catch up, so I guess I'm just not going to do it at all, okay? The point of this is to be a resource for you, and to provide some helpful suggestions on how to put it to work in your life, but also lead you in a study through preparation and preparing yourselves for Sunday. So, don't let it be a prison, meaning don't let it be your taskmaster that says, if you haven't measured up, then there's no sense trying, okay? I want you to feel encouraged by this, not bound by this.
[1:04] So, pick one up if you haven't already. If we need to print some more, we can always do that, but this is meant to be a resource for you, and I trust that you'll be encouraged through your study in the week in preparation for Sunday morning. But before we start this morning's message, I want to begin with a short video.
[1:25] The Big Red Tractor and the Little Village Once upon a time, in a little field, in a happy little village, lived a big red tractor.
[1:37] Every morning during plowing season, the village people, no, not those village people, would come out and start the red tractor. Everyone loved the tractor and the powerful noises it would make. They would cheer for the big red tractor because he would help them through plowing season.
[1:56] The people worked together to move the tractor. Half of the villagers would push from behind, while the other half would pull. They had been doing it this way for many generations.
[2:06] Some days they moved the tractor 10 feet. Some days they moved it 20. They did this for three whole months every year. Because of their hard work, the villagers always managed to plow the field, just in time to plant, and just before the rainy season. The rains would come to water the field. Then the sun would come out to make the crops grow. And then the people would come out and harvest all the new crops.
[2:37] It was just enough food to feed the entire village. One day, Farmer Dave was cleaning out his attic. To his surprise, he found an old book tucked beneath his great grandpa's belongings. It was the owner's manual to the Big Red Tractor.
[2:55] This book told about how the tractor was made and all the great things it could do. Farmer Dave studied the book all night. He was shocked by what he was reading.
[3:05] According to the book, if the Big Red Tractor was running properly, it could plow the whole field in just one day. Early the next morning, Farmer Dave gathered the villagers to tell them the good news.
[3:18] But nobody believed him. There's no way that tractor can move on its own, some said. One lady said, it sounds like you're reading a fairy tale. The people laughed at him.
[3:29] This made Farmer Dave very sad. This didn't stop Farmer Dave from believing what he read. Every night, while the other villagers were asleep, Farmer Dave spent time repairing the Big Red Tractor.
[3:43] One night, Farmer Dave fixed the tractor completely. He jumped on the tractor and had so much fun driving it, he ended up plowing the whole field in one night.
[3:56] The next morning, the villagers woke up and were in shock. The whole field had been plowed. It's a miracle, one man said. Maybe aliens came down, said an old woman.
[4:07] No, look over there, a little boy shouted. It was Farmer Dave sleeping on the tractor. It was then the people shouted. He was right.
[4:18] The tractor book is true. The villagers ended up plowing many fields that year and harvesting way more food than they could ever eat. They had so many leftover boxes of food that they began taking the boxes to other villages where food was scarce.
[4:37] The Big Red Tractor and his little village soon became famous throughout the land. They became known as the most generous and life-giving people in the whole wide world.
[4:49] The Big Red Tractor and his little village soon became famous throughout the land. Of course, it's not about plowing fields.
[5:01] It's not about pushing tractors. Really, it's an analogy for what God desires to do in the hearts of his people and what God desires to do in the life of this church, this body.
[5:17] And if all of us were to dream a little bit about what we wanted God to accomplish through us and for us, it would be maybe similar to what we would see in this illustration.
[5:35] That there would be worldwide impact. That there would be far-reaching touch from this church to the lives of the people, not only in Columbus and not only in Ohio, but to the uttermost parts of the earth.
[5:54] But I think so often what we find ourselves doing is we find ourselves pushing the tractor because it's just what we've been taught to do.
[6:06] It's what we have learned to do all along. It's what we know. It's the systems that we've become familiar with. And if we just look into the rule book, the manual, as it were, for life, if we look into the Word of God and find what does a spiritual life look like, then God will begin to not only change those externals about us so that there's enough for the year and enough for us in terms of spiritual sustenance, but there is enough to share.
[6:42] There's enough for us to have an impact in these ever-growing circles of individuals and communities and nations around us.
[6:55] What does it take to be that kind of people? What does it take to be world changers? Well, it begins with you individually. It begins as God begins to change your heart personally.
[7:11] And as we'll see this morning in our passage, we'll see that great changes can happen not because of your greater efforts, but great changes happen because of a greater yielding, a greater surrender, and then a greater power that fills you for greater work.
[7:36] Not that you are doing greater work on your own, but that God is doing greater work through you. I like what Phillips Brooks says.
[7:46] I'm remembering this, so I might not get it right. It says, Phillips Brooks says, Pray not for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Pray not for tasks equal to your strength, but pray for power equal to the task.
[8:06] Pray not for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Pray not for tasks equal to your power. Pray for power equal to the task.
[8:20] That's the kind of prayer we need to have. God, fill us with the power of the Spirit so that you can set us on the track of accomplishing your work in this world.
[8:35] Now that work, from a human standpoint, may seem kind of small because we're pretty limited in our perspective of how God is going to use these things into the future.
[8:49] So don't get this notion that we're going to be starting to do great things as a people, but we're going to be aligning our hearts to a great God and expecting God to do great things in His time and in His way.
[9:04] Turn with me, if you would, then, to 1 Thessalonians as we begin to look at this. The Apostle Paul and Silas and Timothy had spent some time in this church, the church of Thessalonica.
[9:19] It was an abbreviated time. It wasn't the kind of time that Paul wanted to spend in this church because he was ousted due to persecution. But through the sovereignty of God, we understand that it was enough, at least for the moment.
[9:34] And now Paul is writing to this church this little letter of 1 Thessalonians, probably within 10 months to a year of having been in this place.
[9:45] They're still spiritual babies. They're still small in number, experiencing a great deal of opposition and adversity as a church.
[9:56] They don't have a pastor that we could identify, at least, from the passage. And there are a lot of things that are kind of broken about this place, certainly not the place, the church, that you would expect God to do great things through.
[10:15] And yet, as we have looked briefly last week at the end of chapter 1, and we'll take a longer look at it next week, and as we saw the touch, the reach of this church in terms of loving their community in chapter 4, we notice that God was doing extraordinary things through an unexpected group of people.
[10:39] As any pastor would be concerned, Paul is greatly concerned, or at least was greatly concerned about this church.
[10:51] Greatly concerned about their longevity, their ability to endure. And especially since he didn't have a chance to be there, he was concerned about their ability to survive and to thrive as a church.
[11:05] And so he's identified several things about them that have encouraged his own heart. Things that have identified them as a people of God.
[11:15] And because they're a people of God, he understands that what God has initiated, God will continue to accomplish and to work in sustaining that ministry.
[11:30] We saw last week that they have a work of faith and a labor of love and a steadfastness of hope. Three core characteristics of any true spiritual people.
[11:45] And this morning, we're going to look at a church that demonstrates spiritual power. Let me read for us, beginning in verse 3, and I'll read through verse 7.
[11:58] And we'll concentrate our time on verses 4 to 7 today. It says this, We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
[12:22] For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
[12:38] You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake? And you became imitators of us and of the Lord. For you received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
[13:02] Here we find a church that is continuing to demonstrate spiritual fruit. Now, this morning, the work of the Holy Spirit in their life creating spiritual power, producing an energy that can only come from God.
[13:18] This happens, as we find from our passage this morning, because they were a word-filled church. What does a word-filled church look like?
[13:29] Well, we begin to fill this description out for us as we continue to look this morning. A word-filled church will be a church that is filled with the Holy Spirit.
[13:41] They didn't know much, but what they knew, they applied. And it produced a spiritual people.
[13:53] A spiritual people is a spirit-filled people. Not a people that is producing a certain set of actions, a certain set of standards that are marking their life, but a spiritual people are a people who are filled by the Holy Spirit.
[14:13] That should be obvious to us. And certainly that was true of this church. I want to look, first of all, at the work of the Holy Spirit in saving this people.
[14:27] When Paul is addressing this group of individuals, he begins where it all starts. He says there in verse 4, For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you.
[14:42] Because our gospel came to you, not only in word, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit. So when Paul is talking about power, what is he referring to?
[14:54] What is he talking about? What is important to him? What are the marks of spiritual power and the spirit-filled life that he is looking for? The gospel accompanied with power.
[15:08] And by the way, the Greek term here is the word dunamai, which is the word we get dynamite from. That's the kind of explosive power that was beginning to show up in the midst of this church.
[15:22] Jesus, of course, is interested in this same kind of power, and Jesus' life demonstrated this kind of power.
[15:35] Jesus also, in communicating to His disciples, He wanted them to understand the significance of the Holy Spirit's power in the work of salvation. And if you remember, in the first chapter of Acts, Acts chapter 1, Jesus has risen from the dead, and it's the time between His resurrection and His ascension.
[16:00] And there He is with His disciples, having a conversation with them, and they have received instruction from Jesus for three years, they have observed His life, they have witnessed His teaching, they have seen the evidence of God's power working through Him.
[16:19] He's even sent them on at least a couple of different occasions to go out and to be part of gospel ministry. But there in chapter 1, instead of Jesus sending His disciples directly into Jerusalem to get busy with gospel proclamation, He tells them it needs to begin a different way.
[16:41] He has commissioned them to ministry, and to preach throughout the nations, but there was something that needed to happen first. He tells them in Acts chapter 1, He says, while He was staying with them, He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise from the Father.
[17:03] because as we find in Acts chapter 1, Jesus goes on to explain, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and then you can be my witnesses.
[17:19] But you must first wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit to come, and then you can begin this work of gospel proclamation and kingdom building.
[17:33] Jesus wanted to reinforce to His disciples the significance of the Holy Spirit's work in this initial, even the initial phases of church planting.
[17:43] because the Holy Spirit is instrumental to lead us to salvation. And I want to talk about just, I think there are five things here that address the specific work of the Holy Spirit in relationship to salvation in our lives.
[18:03] That's why Paul is convinced that they have the Spirit living within because of seeing His work, His power showing up in them and for them.
[18:16] First, His work of illumination. His work of illumination. Now this is all in addition to our message this morning. And so I want to help inform our hearts, kind of give us the theology of the power of the Holy Spirit as we're working through this study together.
[18:37] First, I want us to understand the Spirit's work of illumination from 2 Corinthians 4, verses 3 to 6. I would encourage you to turn there.
[18:48] Those of you who have a hard time turning pages, I put it up there on the board too. It may be difficult to read, but here it is. Paul is speaking to the church of Corinth, and he says, And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
[19:08] In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
[19:23] There is a war that is taking place in this life.
[19:51] It is a cosmic battle, as it were, between the forces of Satan and the forces of God. And the blindness that is settled on the hearts of the world is a blindness that is created because Satan has blinded the minds of those who believe not.
[20:08] But for this church of Thessalonica, those, as he describes in verse 4, as those who have been chosen by God, God does a work in their life to shine the light of the gospel into their hearts so now they can see the glory of Christ.
[20:32] Now they can begin to understand the significance of the gospel. It is a serious problem that we face. Paul describes this in other places.
[20:45] He says we're dead in our trespasses and sins. He says our hearts are darkened without understanding. We're full of ignorance. We have hardness of heart.
[20:56] It is not just a dilemma that becomes difficult to overcome. It is impossible without the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit shining the gospel light into our hearts.
[21:11] The Holy Spirit is the one, through his power, to shine the light of the gospel into our hearts. Second, it's a work of regeneration.
[21:22] Not just a work of illumination, but a work of regeneration. We find in the account of Jesus speaking with Nicodemus there in John chapter 3, we see this exchange between this scribe, a leader of the Pharisees there in Jerusalem, and Jesus having this conversation.
[21:44] And in this conversation, Jesus says, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh.
[21:55] That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I say to you, you must be born again. Regeneration is just a big word for being born again, being renewed, rebirthed.
[22:11] There is a spiritual birth that takes place, but there's also, excuse me, there's a physical birth that takes place, but also a spiritual birth that happens only because of the Holy Spirit's work in a heart in creating spiritual life.
[22:27] Titus 3.5 explains it this way, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
[22:40] That makes sense, right? Because according to the words of Jesus, you can't create in human terms spiritual life.
[22:52] Spiritual life can only be created by the Holy Spirit, by a divine work on a life to produce rebirth, new birth, spiritual life.
[23:06] We also see the work of conviction. Work of conviction. We find that in John chapter 16, 7 to 11.
[23:19] Jesus is spending the final moments of his life before his crucifixion with his disciples, and he wants them to understand, guys, just because I'm going away, this is good for you.
[23:30] I'm going to die. I'm going to rise again, and I'm going to depart from you, but that's good for you. Here's why. He says in verse 7, Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.
[23:43] It's to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you, and when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.
[24:01] Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me. Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
[24:14] See, the Holy Spirit is also responsible for convicting hearts in helping to confront us with our own wickedness, our own ungodliness, how far away we are from the absolute standard that God has set for us, the mark of purity and holiness.
[24:33] And the convicting work of the Holy Spirit challenges our hearts to see it for what it is. And that is accompanied then by the work of repentance, which comes next.
[24:46] The work of repentance. You see, just because conviction is in place, it needs to be accompanied by the work of God in leading us to repentance for salvation to actually occur.
[25:02] 2 Timothy 2, verses 24 to 26 help us with this. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.
[25:19] God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth. and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will.
[25:36] Make no mistake, repentance happens in the work of an individual because of the work of the Holy Spirit that's conditioning their hearts in giving them the gift of repentance.
[25:50] That God may perhaps grant them repentance. If you have come to the point this morning where the convicting work of the Holy Spirit has challenged you about sin and then led you to a place of repentance and asking for forgiveness, that is a work of God in your life.
[26:07] You can praise him for that because that's the Holy Spirit working in you. And that's why the Apostle Paul is so ecstatic at this point because he sees the mark of God in leading a group of individuals to a place not only of conviction but a place of repentance.
[26:26] And he realizes only God can do that. There are several examples throughout the New Testament where we find conviction show up but no repentance.
[26:40] For example, in Acts chapter 7 we see this martyrdom of Stephen and it says as Stephen was speaking to the people in his hearing and confessing who Jesus was, when they heard these things it says they were cut to the heart.
[27:00] And that word, that phrase cut to the heart is the same phrase that's used of those on the day of Pentecost who having been convicted of sin then actually also received the gift of repentance and became converted and experienced new life but not here in chapter 7.
[27:20] In chapter 7 they're convicted of sin but instead of repenting it says they gnashed at him with their teeth. They cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed on him and cast him out of the city and threw stones at him.
[27:38] Just because conviction is present doesn't mean repentance will be present. In Acts chapter 24 and 25 we see the story of Felix and of King Agrippa.
[27:51] Felix who would often listen to the apostle Paul when Paul was a prisoner there in Caesarea and it says Felix and his wife Drusilla would send for Paul and hear him concerning the faith in Christ and Felix was afraid.
[28:05] There was a sense of awe and pressure this burden that he felt this convicting work that was taking place in his life but it never led him at least as far as we know to a place of repentance.
[28:24] And then finally there is a work of sealing a work of sealing in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13 the work of sealing it says this in him you also when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and believed in him were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.
[28:57] You see the Holy Spirit also comes and marks a life of every convert every follower of Jesus who has repented of their sin who has trusted in Jesus through faith believes that he is the only way of salvation the Holy Spirit comes marks their life stamps them with a new identity and seals them till the time that Jesus comes to receive them to glory.
[29:24] All of the things that the Holy Spirit does as a work of God for us in salvation. I want to spend some time now transitioning to his sanctifying power the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit we see that now in the following verses verses six and seven it says and you became imitators of us and of the Lord for you received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is the work of God in us this would differentiate itself from what we're going to look at next the strengthening power of the Spirit which is the work of God through us for others okay we'll get there in a moment but I want to focus on the sanctifying work of the Spirit sanctifying power of the Spirit which is the power of God for you what does
[30:35] God do for you in sanctification the work of sanctification is the work of making you look more like Jesus it's really this work of becoming imitators not only of those who represent Christ and speak for Christ but especially as Paul points attention to you became imitators of us and of the Lord the supreme example that we look to is the example of Jesus the supreme pattern for righteousness the supreme example of how we should live as people is found in him but we know something about the advantage of personal life examples people right in our context that God has used to help us see Jesus better so who has done that for you who has been this replica of Jesus for you who has
[31:43] God used through the course of your life to help emulate the beauty of the gospel right there in front of you perhaps your parents your grandparents maybe an aunt or an uncle for me personally of course it was my mom and dad who had a tremendous influence in my life but I think of three specific names first I think of Jean Fisher Jean Fisher was a was a professor at Cedarville College she was teaching in the Christian education department but she was also the superintendent of my Sunday school class from ages first through third grade how is it possible for a college professor to humble herself enough to come down to the level of a first through third grader and to speak life into them speak gospel truth into their lives
[32:45] Jean Fisher for 30 years faithfully consistently loved on the students that she was teaching and through Jean Fisher's example I came to love Jesus more what a great example to me I also think of someone named Mr.
[33:10] and Mrs. Durham I called them Grandpa and Grandma Durham because I was in a church play with them and they were my grandparents in the play and then from that point on they were my adopted grandparents for life well Grandpa Durham was also a college professor he taught Greek there at Cedarville University very brilliant man but also tremendously humble I would often go over to their home I would often have conversations with Grandpa Durham about life and learning from his example and learning from his encouragement I can remember the first message I preached there at Grace Baptist Church and it was a it was a dud to say the least but you wouldn't have known that from talking with Grandpa Durham because of his encouragement for me and his his the way that God used him to direct me into ministry it was life it was life changing and then I think about
[34:20] Frank Young again a guy who was instrumental in planting a significant church in the Chicago area a man who was involved in the community served at a homeless shelter and again oversaw the children's ministry at the church that I attended while in in Aurora Illinois a man with incredible wisdom incredible godliness incredible humility I'm sure God has used individuals like that in your own life those who you can begin to emulate those who you can see Jesus show up in them and begin to harmonize your own life with the portraits of Jesus in them that you see you have the same opportunity the same opportunity to emulate Christ for those around you how many times have we actually corrected our children and said hey where did you get that and then realize that the things that we saw in that little transaction were the similar things that were happening earlier in the week in our own life and we realize oh that's where you got that you got that from me
[35:45] God has given us the privilege and the responsibility of making him known in the world around us and only through the power of the Holy Spirit can that work of imitating God be a work that is truly representative of him how do we find ourselves similar to this video that we watched a church that is unstoppable a people that are productive and fruitful maybe a help for that is found in Galatians chapter 3 so keep your finger there in 1st Thessalonians I want to briefly go to Galatians chapter 2 verses 2 and 3 and I want to draw your attention to a similar issue that Paul was dealing with in this church of Galatia Galatians chapter 2 verses 2 and 3
[36:46] I'll actually back up to verse 1 it says oh foolish Galatians who has bewitched you it was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified let me ask you only this did you receive the spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith are you so foolish having begun by the spirit are you now being perfected by the flesh did you suffer so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain does he who supply the spirit to you and work miracles among you do so by the works of the law or by the hearing with faith what Paul is trying to address in this this church of Galatia is this idea this notion that they could work out their own spirituality that they could practice a little bit more discipline that they could work out and have the right kind of conditions in their life so they could be more spiritual people and
[37:59] Paul is saying now wait a second here how you began the spiritual life is how you need to continue it you began with the Holy Spirit with the power of God doing a work in your life the only way for you to continue to be spiritual people!
[38:15] is not by working harder! more of yourself to him and letting him work out his salvation through your life!
[38:32] We find in Galatians chapter 4 that they were observing days and months and seasons and years they had all the externals all the accoutrements of things that looked very spiritual they had put it together the right programs the right activities but Paul says you're doing this for all the wrong reasons it's driven by all the wrong power it's self incorporated power rather than spirit filled power and he gives them the answer to how to have the right kind of life in Galatians chapter 5 turn the page Galatians chapter 5 beginning in verse 16 but I say walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh for the desires of the flesh are against the spirit and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh for these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do to boil it down in its simplest form
[39:46] Paul says essentially you don't need the right activity you just need the right heart you don't need the right externals you need the right desires it all starts with the right affection have the right affection for Jesus have the right satisfaction for him and then you begin to walk like he walked you begin to imitate his pattern of life if you have a similar desire if you walk in the spirit and desire the things of the spirit then you be walking in obedience to him let's turn back to 1st Thessalonians and we'll look at our last point together!
[40:39] growing in spiritual maturity as you find there in letter B is a walk that happens because of having the right affections not the right externals finally Paul is encouraged by the power that he sees the power of the Holy Spirit showing up in their lives power that strengthens them for ministry they had seen the pattern of Paul and identified and knew the pattern of Jesus they emulated that pattern and now look what happens at the end of verse 6 you became imitators of us it says and of the Lord for you received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit so that you became an example to all the believers they had so patterned themselves after Christ so harmonized their life with the affections of
[41:41] God that now they are the ones as spiritual babes in manner of speaking as a very young immature church that are now setting the example for the rest of the world at least in Macedonia and Achaia example to the believers a pattern to emulate!
[42:00] because of the presence of the spirit's power in their life how important is this power how accessible is this power looking at the time we have a few minutes I want to take you on a tour a quick tour turning back to Ephesians I want you to see the significance of power that must mark the Christian life Ephesians chapter 1 if you have your pen it might be beneficial to just grab it and underline I want to take you to some passages that help you see the power that you have and the significance of that power in the Christian life Ephesians chapter 1 beginning in verse 15 Paul is praying for the church he says for this reason because
[43:03] I've heard of your faith in Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints I do not cease to give thanks for you remembering you in my prayers now jump down to verse 19 he's praying now that they would understand what is the immeasurable greatness of his what is that word power towards us who believe according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places that is the power that Paul is praying for the church Holy Spirit power that raised Christ from the dead you have access to as a believer in Jesus Christ turn now to chapter 3 chapter 3 beginning in verse 14 for this reason I bow my knees before the father from whom every family in heaven and earth is named that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through the
[44:16] Holy Spirit in your inner being turn to chapter 6 chapter 6 verse 10 finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might put on the whole armor of God and it goes for the next several verses to talk about the armor that we have available to us as believers and now in verse 18 praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication to that end keep alert!
[44:46] with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints you could go on this tour through Philippians and through Colossians and through 1st Thessalonians and through 1st Timothy where Paul says to Timothy God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power but power to do what?
[45:09] Maybe that's the question power to do what? God has given you power to overcome to overcome the fleshly tendencies that you have and to begin to put on the fruit of the spirit and to put on the marks of God in your life you can find that in so many places we don't have time for this morning but to begin looking like Christ in this dark world that's what was happening in Thessalonica the power of God was so!
[45:46] changed their life we'll look at this a little bit more next week that they became become this explosive testimony going out from Thessalonica that there are examples to all of Macedonia and Achaia of what God can do in a life that is surrendered to the spirit's indwelling control to close!
[46:18] maybe the greatest way you can begin to gauge whether or not the spirit's power is active in your life is by taking a look now at 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 6 at the very end you receive the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit when the spirit's power is working in a life it creates a person that is marked with joy you have a life that is marked by joy rejoicing in every circumstance only a life that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit can have that kind of joy the peace of God that passes all understanding begins to mark our life and to fill us with hope and confidence in what
[47:20] God will do and then that will lead us to joy as we realize that God is helping us look more like him and helping us be a better testimony to the world around us may God help us to have a life that is marked by the indwelling power of God let's pray