Amen. Okay, kiddos, you are dismissed to your King's Kids class, and if you'd open up your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 5, we're going to be looking at verses 12-22.
It's on page 1174 of your pew Bible.
Hear the word of the Lord.
Lord, we ask you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.
Be at peace among yourselves.
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
See that no one repays anyone for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
Rejoice always.
Pray without ceasing.
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophecies, but test everything.
Hold fast what is good.
Abstain from every form of evil.
May God bless the hearing of his word.
How do you handle waiting?
Let's say Saturday rolls around.
You have people coming over for pizza in a rousing game of Dutch Blitz.
Who knows Dutch Blitz?
Everybody else, you're invited over to my house this coming Saturday.
Dutch Blitz is awesome.
Well, they're arriving at 530.
So what are you doing leading up to their arrival?
What are you doing leading up to go time?
Here's what I'm doing, and I realize that you'll probably psychoanalyze me while I share these very vulnerable and transparent things.
I'm typically cleaning and watching.
I'm cleaning outside.
I'm cleaning inside, and I'm looking at my watch saying, how much longer until they get here?
And as 530 approaches, I am looking out the window.
I'm looking down the road.
I'm looking for the cars of the coming ones, of these dear ones.
I'm looking for the cars of the car.
I'm looking for the car.
Another way to describe it is like, I'm like a golden retriever waiting for his master to come home after work.
That's how I get.
1 Thessalonians repeatedly brings up a prophecy of Jesus Christ that he is coming back.
We're one day closer.
Sure, the thing is, we don't know the time nor the hour, but we're not to fear that.
We're to be ready for that.
But the question is, how do we as a church together wait for God's Son to come from heaven?
What are we supposed to be doing?
Wouldn't it be great to have a list of things we should be doing while we're waiting for the Son?
Well, look, 1 Thessalonians 5, 12 through 22 gives us a list of 17 commands.
I'm only going to take 10 minutes on each one.
Just kidding.
What we have here is 17 commands in rapid fire succession.
And these commands are urging us to walk in a certain way together as we wait on the Son.
And so here's what I want to convince you of from this passage.
That together, we walk by the Spirit as we wait on the Son.
Together, we're going to wait.
We're going to walk by the Spirit as we wait on the Son.
And so these 17 commands are not organized in some kind of random, haphazard fashion.
They're actually grouped into four groups.
And that's going to walk you through this morning.
And the four groups are these.
Together, we're to respect our leaders, 12 and 13.
Together, we're going to care for those who are needy in our midst.
That's in 14 and 15.
Together, we're to turn to God always.
That's 16 through 18.
And together, we are to stoke the fire of the Spirit.
That's in verses 19 through 22.
So how are we to wait together for the coming of the Son?
Together, we walk by the Spirit as we wait on the Son.
Now, you may be a little surprised to hear me reference the Holy Spirit
as a part of the main thrust of this passage.
But what I want to help you see as we go through this,
that there are some very obvious clues as we go through that this passage is about walking by the Spirit.
So group number one, together, we are to respect our leaders in verses 12 and 13.
Paul starts this section with an appeal.
He says,
There was a leadership vacuum.
But God had raised up local leaders of the first Christian church of Thessalonica.
And what we have in this grouping are three commands.
The first two are signaled by the word respect and esteem.
So we ask you, brothers, to respect.
And in verse 13, and to esteem.
The word respect in the original language is a little more nuanced than what we have here.
It means to actually acknowledge someone.
To recognize them as a leader.
To say, yes, you are in fact a leader in this church.
And it's not just to recognize someone.
But verse 13, we are to esteem them.
We're to be able to appreciate them.
So what we're being told here to do as a way of walking by the Spirit is to acknowledge and appreciate the leaders in our midst.
This past Thursday was Veterans Day when we as a nation take time to acknowledge and appreciate the veterans in our midst
for the work that they have done for the good of our country.
We're grateful for our veterans.
And what we're being called here to do is to express acknowledgement and appreciation for our leaders.
Did you notice how we are to appreciate, honor our leaders?
We are to esteem them very highly.
And we are to do that in love.
And the reason why we're to do that, to esteem leaders highly and in love,
is because of the nature of the work God has called them to.
We see that in verse 12.
Just kind of an elaboration of the work.
Those who labor among you are over you in the Lord.
The Lord has entrusted to them the responsibility of some kind of oversight and responsibility.
Who admonish you in the Lord that they will say hard things in love to you to build you up into Christ.
Leadership in the church is not easy.
It's difficult.
You regularly find yourself in tense and complicated situations.
And so what the church is being called to do here is to esteem, to acknowledge that,
and to appreciate the leaders in our midst, elders and deacons, life group leaders,
who are having to exercise some kind of leadership for the glory of Jesus.
It's to be tenderhearted.
Tenderhearted appreciation.
That's getting at this to do so in love.
But it raises the question,
what if you don't appreciate your leaders?
What if it's not a tenderness of heart?
What if you're not affectionate towards the leaders of your church?
What if you've been offended by them?
If you've been regularly disappointed by them?
If you're harboring resentment, you're avoiding them,
you're being sinfully critical of them,
you're regularly tempted to say ill things about them with other people?
Well, what you need to recognize there, that's a check engine light on your soul.
That's saying you're not at peace with somebody.
You're not at peace with one of the leaders of the church.
And so when you see in verse 13 where it says,
and to esteem them very highly and love because of the work,
be at peace among yourselves,
that is in the context of leadership.
Seeking to be at peace with the leaders of your church.
One of the things that Jasmine Aldrich has seared into my mind
when it comes to peacemaking is this little phrase.
I think I got it right, Jasmine.
Don't be a peacebreaker
or a peacefaker.
Be a peacemaker.
And so far as it depends on you, Romans 12,
be at peace with everything, with everyone.
And so if you're wondering, well, what I do
if I'm holding something against a leader in my church,
Matthew 18, 15 through 20, you go to them.
You tell them, show them their fault.
And if, like an elder,
has been approached by two or three people
and they still are unrepentant for sin,
then the church is to bring that elder
in front of the church and rebuke him publicly.
That's 1 Timothy 5, verses 19 through 20.
What I want to help you to see is
the love with which you are to appreciate your leaders
and then the peace that you are to strive for with them
these are fruit of the Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace.
And so these things that we're being called to do
are walkings together by the Spirit of God
as we pursue unity together.
So this first grouping focuses on leaders
but to walk by the Spirit in a particular way
as we wait on the Son.
The second group has to do with caring
for brothers and sisters in need in our midst.
And we can see this in verses 14 and 15.
Now imagine you go to the doctor
with flu-like symptoms
and you get diagnosed very quickly
and the doctor prescribes you a medication
to reduce your symptoms
to just kind of like diminish in two days.
Well, a week later,
your symptoms haven't diminished.
They've actually gotten worse.
So you go back to the doctor
and you say to her,
what's going on?
So she orders a battery of blood tests.
She asks you a bunch of more questions.
And what becomes evident
is that your doctor had misdiagnosed you.
You don't have the flu.
You have Lyme disease.
And so the treatment for Lyme disease
is very different than the treatment for the flu.
And so what we see in this section,
in verses 14 through 15,
what we have is a series of spiritual diagnoses
followed by accurate prescriptions
to ensure the health of these people in need.
So let me walk you through it.
Verse 14 starts with another appeal.
And we urge you, brothers and sisters,
and then comes the first command.
We're told to admonish the idol.
The diagnosis is idleness.
And so if you're wondering what idleness is,
you might think,
well, if you're idle, you're lazy.
And to a certain degree, that's true.
But this idleness being talked about here
is in unruly, undisciplined idleness.
This is someone who is unwilling
to apply themselves
to normal, adult, responsible conduct and behavior.
And so when someone who is idle,
the prescription is to admonish them,
which is a loving kick in the pants.
It's not comforting them in their idleness.
It's admonishing them.
In fact, in 2 Thessalonians 3.10,
the next letter that Paul writes to the Thessalonians,
this issue of idleness had become
even a greater problem in the church.
And so Paul tells them,
anyone not willing to work,
let him not eat.
And so who he's talking about
is people who are able-bodied,
able-minded,
but are unwilling to apply themselves.
And so what Paul's trying to do
is to prevent people
from becoming unnecessary burdens
to the church.
So he's calling them to a responsibility.
Admonish the idle.
The next diagnosis is faintheartedness.
Encourage the fainthearted.
Diagnosis, faintheartedness.
That's when someone is despairing.
That when someone wants to throw in the towel,
they're like,
I am done with this following Jesus business.
Remember, this church
had been suffering intense persecution.
And when you are suffering like that,
you're gonna be tempted to throw in the towel.
They've seen friends die in their church.
It would have been tempting
just to say like,
I'm done.
But the cure,
the prescription for faintheartedness
is to encourage,
to comfort.
It's saddling up next to a fellow brother and sister
and saying things like,
Jesus is worth it.
We're one day closer.
Don't grow weary in doing good.
Your labor's not in vain.
You won't regret this
when you stand before him someday.
And so the way that we
kind of deal with faintheartedness
is by encouragement.
And then we read,
the next is help the weak.
Diagnosis is weakness.
Some kind of inability
to function normally.
And that might be a physical weakness.
That might be a mental weakness.
Some kind of mental health issue.
Joblessness.
Food shortage.
Shelter, clothing, transportation.
It might be temporary.
It might be ongoing.
But what we do know,
it's not a result of idleness.
It's not the result of someone
being unwilling to do
what they need to do.
But this is because of something
that they,
and relatively speaking,
can't control.
And what we're to do
is to help them.
To help the weak.
To come alongside them
and roll up our sleeves
and say,
I am here to help
and I'm here to bear with.
The only qualification
I'd add here
is that when we help people,
and our deacons are dialed into this,
we're going to help them
in a way that doesn't make
them dependent upon us.
We're going to help them
take responsibility for life.
We're going to help them
get skin in the game.
We're going to help them
to be able to be part
of the solution
to their situation.
That dignifies people.
That treats them
as image bearers.
And so we're going to help
the weak.
The next diagnosis
and prescription
is just a prescription.
Be patient.
Be patient with them all.
And what that is getting at
is a diagnosis
that can affect people
who are trying to help people
in need.
And that is,
you become impatient.
That is,
you become harsh.
What's your problem?
Get your act together.
You should have been out of debt
seven months ago.
We treat people
impatiently,
unlovingly.
This patience
is another fruit of the Spirit.
Love,
joy,
peace,
patience.
And when we are exercising
patience
with people
who are in need,
what that gives us
the benefit of
is being able
to rightly
diagnose
an issue
which leads
to a healthy
prescription
which means
long-term
health.
This patience
is a spirit
strengthening
to help us
long-suffer
with others,
to bear
with others.
We need
to be patient
and
could you
imagine
what would happen
if you're being
impatient
and you start
helping someone
who's idle
or comforting
someone who's idle
or you start
to admonish
a fainthearted
person,
admonish
someone who's
weak?
You're going
to end up
with a problem
much greater
than where you
started.
We need
patience
and wisdom
in coming
alongside of people
and caring
for them.
In verse 15
we have
a don't do
this
and a do
this.
The diagnosis
in verse 15
is vengeance.
It's retaliation.
See that
no one
repays anyone
evil for evil.
Our tendency
is when we're
wronged
we want
to in our
flesh
wrong back.
and we're
being told
no.
See to it
that no one
repays evil
for the evil
and then
positively
it says
but always
seek to do
good to one
another
and to
everyone.
One another
those within
the church
other Christians
to anyone
non-Christians
we're to do
good to them
all.
We're not
to respond
repay evil
with evil
we're to
repay evil
with good
goodness
through the
Spirit.
Love, joy,
peace,
patience,
goodness.
And so
the Spirit
helps us
in those
moments
where we
wrong each
other
or we're
wronged by
someone else.
this would
apply to
this church
who's being
persecuted
by people
outside of
the church.
You are not
to respond
in evil
to them
but you're
to do
them good.
This is
following
Jesus
what Jesus
taught about
turning your
cheek
about
responding
to curse
with blessing
and when
we deal
with that
with non-Christians
they'll be
like
what?
This marks
a follower
of Jesus
Christ.
This
section
this grouping
of
diagnoses
and
prescriptions
it's
together
how we
walk
by the
Spirit
as we're
caring for
people in
need
patience
and
goodness.
This is
the second
grouping
of what
we do
as we
wait on
the sun.
The third
grouping
is found
in verses
16 and
18
and it's
together
we are
always
turning to
God.
It's
what's
being
described
here
is a
really
compelling
Christian
community.
What we
see here
is a
Christian
culture
that's
ablaze
by the
Spirit.
here are
the three
commands.
16
rejoice
always
17
pray
without
ceasing
18
giving
thanks
in all
circumstances.
To rejoice
always means
to be
joyful
and the
source of
the joy
being spoken
of here
is not
your
circumstances
but God
himself.
You are
delighting
in your
God.
You are
in wonder
of him.
You
think
that he
is
amazing.
You
can't
help
but lift
your
voice
in praise
to him
because of
who he
is and
you have
this abiding
confidence
that no
matter what
you encounter
because God
is both
good,
loving,
holy,
and sovereign
whatever
you encounter
he's always
working for
your good.
Romans 8
28
right?
James
1
3
considerate
joy
whenever you
encounter
trials of
various kinds
because God's
always working
in that to
make you
mature.
So we
have this
first command
to be
joyful.
Our
tendency
is to
question
God,
is to
ignore
him.
The
second way
we are to
turn to
God
is to
pray.
Pray
without
seeking.
It's
asking
God
to
work
in a
particular
way.
We are
to
ask,
seek,
knock.
This is
Luke 11
and when
we ask,
seek,
knock,
we remember
the heart
of our
Father who
loves us
and wants
good for
us.
He's not
going to
give us
a stone.
He's not
going to
give us
a scorpion.
He's going
to give
the Holy
Spirit to
all who
ask him.
And so
when
you come
across a
passage in
Ephesians 6
or in
Jude that
says pray
in the
Spirit,
we are
to pray
along
the
Spirit's
will,
what the
Spirit wants
to do in
our midst,
along the
grain of
the Spirit.
You know
how a grain
and wood
moves a
certain way?
We are
to pray
along the
grain of
the Spirit's
intent and
we know the
Spirit is
always looking
to build up
the body
of Christ.
we are
to pray.
The application
of this
is simple.
You know
how when we
gather together
as a church
and before
and after
the service
or maybe
at a life
group or
some other
gathering,
you're having
conversations
with another
brother or
sister in
Christ and
they're real
conversations,
they're good
conversations,
they're horizontal
and you can
walk away from
like a coffee
shop and say
that was
really good.
What I want
to encourage
you to do
is go
vertical.
Go
vertical in
those
conversations.
That conversation
is not done
yet until you
go vertical to
God with that
conversation.
Bring your
brother or
sister to
the throne
of grace.
Simple.
You just
say,
hey,
I'm really
glad to know
that.
Can we pray
about this?
Can we turn
to the Lord
right now and
ask God to
act?
you don't
need permission
to do that.
God is
telling you to
do that.
It's his
will.
What we
tend to do is
lean on our
own understanding.
We spend a lot
of time
anxious,
fearful,
trying to think
through all the
different scenarios
and solve them
where we can turn
to the Lord
right then and
there.
We're told to
give thanks
in all
circumstances.
If joy
is the
abiding
confidence
that God
is at work
even though I
may not see it,
giving thanks
is giving God
credit for
when he does
work,
when he does
move.
And what we're
being told here
is we are to
give thanks
in all circumstances,
which means
Christian,
you always have
a reason to
give thanks.
No matter what
is going on
in your life,
you can always
thank God
for his
gracious,
merciful,
powerful work
of delivering
you from the
domain of
darkness and
transferring you
into the
kingdom of
his beloved
son,
of justifying
you,
of adopting
you,
of sanctifying
you and one
day glorifying
you.
You always have
something to be
thankful for.
Thank you
for saving
me.
You can say
that in any
context as a
way of expressing
thanksgiving to
God.
The temptation
is to grumble
and to complain
and forget what
God has done.
And then when you
are praying and
God answers your
prayer in specific
ways, you're not
done until you give
God the credit
for that.
thank you God
for answering
that prayer.
Thank you God
for raising up
that musician.
Thank you God
for caring for
that person
in that way.
Ephesians chapter
5 talks about
commands us to be
filled with the
Spirit continually.
and then verse
20, that command
to be filled
by the Spirit
shows up in
giving thanks
always together.
Thankfulness as
a church is a
working of the
Spirit in a
church.
Did you notice
the always?
Did you notice
the without
ceasing?
Did you notice
the in all
circumstances?
All of us,
all the time,
in all situations,
are to be turning
together to our
God and as we
do, what He
will do will
form in us is
a Christocentric
culture ablaze
with the Holy
Spirit.
Walking by the
Spirit.
Joy in God,
prayer to God,
thanksgiving to
God.
Verse 18,
we're told this
is God's will
for us in
Christ Jesus.
it's what we
know the Holy
Spirit is seeking
to do in us.
This is the
grain of the
Spirit revealed
in God's Word.
You don't need
permission.
God is telling
you to do this.
He says,
well, this
culture of
always turning to
God is what it
means to walk
by the Spirit.
Together we walk
by the Spirit,
always turning to
God as we
wait on the
Son.
What do we do
as we wait for
the Son?
We rejoice,
we pray,
we give thanks.
Finally, the
fourth grouping
is together
stoking the
Spirit's fire.
This is
verses 19
through 22.
And this
grouping of
five commands
starts off with a
negative command.
God, do not
quench the
Spirit, as in
the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit
who has sealed us
for the day of
redemption, the
Holy Spirit who
has applied the
finished work of
Christ to our
lives, the Holy
Spirit who Jesus
says, when he
would come, he
will glorify me.
We know that the
Spirit is seeking to
spotlight the
Son.
And he's being
compared to a
fire.
Don't quench the
Spirit.
Who doesn't love
a campfire?
Who doesn't love
a backyard fire
pit?
Let's say that
you're sitting
warming yourself
at a campfire and
someone walks up
with a bucket of
water and they
just pour that
water on top of
your fire.
Squenching,
quenching the
fire, stifling it.
That's the picture.
Quenching the
Spirit's work in
our midst.
Stifling it.
What I've been
wanting to show
you is the
Spirit's work
doesn't begin in
this passage in
verse 19.
It began in
verse 12.
We who, we are
to love and be
at peace with our
leaders.
That's what it
means to walk by
the Spirit and to
resist that is to
quench the Spirit.
We are to be
patiently caring for
the needy.
We are to be
responding to evil,
not with evil but
with good and that
patience and that
goodness that's fruit
of the Spirit.
And if you are
resisting that, you
are stifling the
Spirit.
We are to be
joyful, prayerful,
thankful in every
situation.
But if we're
questioning God,
leaning on our own
understanding, grumbling,
complaining, that's a
stifling of the
Spirit.
It's up to this
point.
What I've wanted to
show you is the
Spirit's been behind
this passage all
along.
And when you get in
verse 19, it's kind
of a summary statement.
Don't quench the
Spirit.
Don't pour water on
what the Spirit wants
to do.
But it's also a pivot
into verse 20 where
there's another negative
command.
Do not despise
prophecy.
And what Paul is
referring to here is a
specific Spirit-given
gift to build up the
church when the
church would gather.
You can see that
spelled out more in
1 Corinthians 12,
1 Corinthians 14,
Romans 12, and here
in 1 Thessalonians 5.
Now here's the
question, and this is
where I'm going to get
a little technical.
Is the gift of the
Spirit prophecy
functioning today?
When our church
gathers, should we be
seeking the gift of
prophecy?
There are two groups
of Bible-believing
Christians who answer
this question very
differently.
There is Bible-believing
Christians who say,
yes, the gift of
prophecy continues.
Wayne Grudem, who is a
seminary professor of
mind, defines prophecy
as this, telling what
God spontaneously brings
to mind.
And so when the church
gathers, they're to make
space for God
spontaneously bringing
things to people's
minds.
And what Grudem does is
he wants to apply
prophecy to everyone in
a church, but
unfortunately what he
doesn't do is he
fails to recognize,
this is with great
humility, that there's a
different definition of
prophecy happening at
that point than the
Old Testament definition
of prophecy.
And the Old Testament
definition would be
prophecy is a thus says
the Lord, infallible,
divinely authoritative.
There's another camp,
Christians who say, no,
the gift of prophecy has
largely ceased.
Tom Schreiner would be a
representative of this,
and he wrote a book
called Spiritual Gifts,
and he makes a pretty
compelling case.
That there is no clear and
compelling reason to think
that the New Testament
prophecy that we see
practiced in 1 Corinthians
12 and 14 and Romans
chapter 12 being referred to,
there's no clear and
compelling reason to think
that that prophecy is
different than Old
Testament prophecy.
And if that's the case,
that would mean that New
Testament prophecy, when
the church gathers, would
have been functioning and
being spoken with tremendous
weight, infallible,
carrying divine authority.
Now, these two understandings of
prophecy remind me of a
Miller Lite commercial.
Do you remember that commercial
back in the 80s?
If you're not alive, no
worries.
There'd be like a bar scene,
people at the bar, and
there's like half the group
would say, tastes great,
Miller Lite tastes great.
And then the other group would
say, less filling!
It's a brilliant campaign,
because everybody's drinking
Miller Lite.
You're just emphasizing a couple
different aspects to it.
Whether you are in the camp that
prophecy continues today, or
you're in the camp that prophecy
has ceased, you've got to
understand that everybody believes
in the active presence of the
Holy Spirit, especially when the
church gathers.
And everyone believes that God's
revealed written word is the
final authority for life and
practice.
The risk for all of us is that
we define prophecy by our
experience, whether good or bad.
Or we define prophecy by the
tradition of a church.
Or we define prophecy by some
other kind of means, other than
according to our Bibles.
So if your background with
prophecy is more Wayne Grudem than
Tom Schreiner, I want to give you
some food for thought.
The role of prophecy in the New
Testament, when the church
gathered, is indisputable.
There was a gift that was
functioning, and it was designed to
build up the church.
But I just want to remind you of a
couple passages that may help you
have a more rounded view of
prophecy.
If you would open up your Bibles to
Ephesians chapter 2.
In 19 and 20, we read this.
So then you are no longer strangers
and aliens, but you are fellow
citizens with the saints and members
of the household of God.
I'll wait till you get there.
220.
Built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Christ
Jesus himself being the
cornerstone.
What seems to be happening here is
that at the beginning of the
church, apostles and prophets had a
foundational role of laying
doctrine about Jesus.
foundational.
The cornerstone being Jesus
himself.
And so I believe what this means is
revelations given, words of
knowledge that were given, in large
part had to do with Jesus.
In order to establish a church
foundationally, doctrinally, on the
person of Jesus.
We didn't have a complete canon at that
point.
Revelation chapter 19, verse 10
says, the testimony of Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy.
At the heart of prophecy, the
revelation, God making known, is what
the whole Bible declares that salvation
is found in Jesus Christ alone.
So I've been persuaded that the
primary, primary function of prophecy
in the New Testament church when they
gathered was to build up the body into
the head of Jesus Christ.
Christ.
Now, my theology of the Holy Spirit also
helps because in John 16, 14, we're told
Jesus himself says of the spirit, he will
glorify me.
He will bring to your remembrance things
that Jesus had said.
So I believe that the Holy Spirit
functioning in a church is seeking to
spotlight Jesus in a variety of different
ways.
And what I'm persuaded of is that New
Testament prophecy, when the church
gathered, had a very weighty, doctrinal,
revelatory weight and function to it.
on the par with infallibility, on par with
full divine authority.
My goal this morning is to get you
thinking.
What does your Bible say about New
Testament prophecy functioning when the
church gathers?
May raise another question.
Are we despising the gift of prophecy by
not making space for prophecy when we
gather?
I'm going to argue no.
Are we quenching the spirit?
I'm going to say no.
Why?
Because I believe the Old Testament and
the New Testament, the completed canon
supplies everything we need for life in
godliness.
It is sufficient and it is complete.
So I believe the completed New Testament
canon supersedes New Testament.
It is complete and infinite prophecy.
It is what Jude talks about when the faith has
been handed down once and for all.
So all the revelations, all of the words of
knowledge about Jesus that we need have been
preserved for us in the New Testament.
Complete and sufficient.
We have no more need for new revelations about Jesus.
And so I have three implications.
I know I'm short on time.
But let me just whiz through these.
When we gather together as a church, we prize the faithful
preaching of this book.
This objective and true revelation of God.
Not subjective.
Not given to error.
It's God speaking to us.
The same spirit who gave the gift of prophecy in the first century
is the same spirit who's inspired every word of this book.
And so I believe when this word is faithfully proclaimed,
it will stoke the fire of the spirit in brothers and sisters in Christ.
It's the spirit accompanying his word and power.
You want a spirit revival?
You preach the Bible.
Remember in Luke 24, Jesus is on the way to Emmaus.
And he's just been raised from the dead.
And he says to them, two of his disciples,
O foolish ones and slow of heart,
to believe all that the prophets have spoken.
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?
And beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted them in all the scriptures,
the things concerning himself.
Jesus then has a meal with them.
Verse 32.
After vanishing from their sight,
these two disciples say,
Did not our hearts burn within us
while he talked to us on the road,
while he opened to us the scriptures?
Did our hearts not burn?
That's spirit ablaze.
That's a spirit blaze around all of the scriptures
making a revelation of who Jesus Christ is
and why he came.
When we gather,
we want to prize the faithful preaching of this book.
The second implication was
taking the last three commands of this passage seriously.
I'll let you look at that.
Applying it to preaching today.
I don't believe preaching and prophecy are the same thing,
but I do think that they're analogous.
The third implication is this.
It's the language we use.
I believe the Spirit of God is active in our midst.
I believe he impresses things on our hearts,
burdens us,
brings scripture to mind,
prompts us,
nudge us to act in faith.
So in light of that,
in wanting to avoid language that can be confusing,
language like,
God told me,
God is saying,
God wants me to tell you this,
but it's not from the pages of this.
This is an impression you had.
When we speak that way,
that can be very confusing to those people who are hearing.
And it can puff up the person speaking it.
So a better way
is to humbly qualify these kinds of things.
Hey,
I was reading the scriptures this morning,
and I believe God put a passage on my heart,
and I think,
I think you can benefit from it.
And then you share it with that person.
You're not claiming to be infallible.
You're not being,
claiming to be the source of a divine word.
I think God is prompting me to,
to share this with you.
I don't know where it came.
I was,
I woke up thinking about you.
Would you take it with a grain of salt?
That's how we humbly qualify these things.
God is active in our midst.
What we want to be careful of
is not claiming a,
an authority and an infallibility
that's not ours to claim.
So I don't believe we're quenching the spirit.
I want to be part of a church
that stokes the fires of the spirit,
asking God to cause his spirit
to fall afresh upon us.
So what do we do?
As we wait on the sun,
we appreciate our leaders
in love and pursue peace.
Walk by the spirit.
We care for those in need,
wisely,
patiently,
doing good to those who do evil to us.
It's walking by the spirit.
We seek to be part of what God is doing
in creating a culture
of God-centeredness,
of joy and prayerfulness and thankfulness,
walking by the spirit.
And we stoke the spirit's fire
by not despising
impressions,
burdens,
but we are elevating
the finished,
complete,
sufficient
word of God.
the scriptures.
Would you pray with me?
Spirit of the living God,
fall afresh upon us.
Would you
break us?
Would you mold us?
Would you fill us?
Would you use us?
Father,
would you pour out your spirit upon us
in greater and greater measure?
That you would knit our hearts together.
That you would cause
the word of Christ
to dwell richly among us.
that we would regularly speak to each other
truths from this book
to the glory of Jesus Christ
to build one another up.
God, would you lead on?
In Jesus' name, amen.
Amen.
Thank you.