We begin our worship by singing to God's praise in Psalm 25.
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Psalm 29 of the Psalm books.
Psalm 25.
We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 7.
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To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
I trust in you continually.
Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my foes gloat over me.
Verse 1 to 7, we stand to sing to God's praise.
To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
I trust in you continually.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my foes gloat over me.
No one who sets his hope in you will ever suffer such disgrace.
But those who act with treachery, humiliating shame will face.
O Lord, reveal to me your ways, and all your paths help me to know.
Direct and guide me in your truth.
Instruct me in the way to go.
You are my Savior and my God.
All day, I hope in you alone.
Remember, Lord, your love and grace,
which from past ages you have shown.
Do not recall my sins of youth,
or my rebellious evil ways.
Remember me in your great love.
For you, O Lord, are good always.
Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, as we gather in your name today,
we are thankful for the reminder in these words that we have sung,
that you are a God who is good always,
and you are the one who is worth remembering in your great love.
And we pray, Lord, that as we worship you today,
that we will have you in mind in all things,
that we will be able to put away other distractions
that so easily come in,
that we will be able to just focus on you,
upon your word, upon your truth to us,
upon your mercy that is new each day,
and thankful for all the gracious thoughts that you have towards us.
We thank you for this day and a time to gather in worship.
We thank you for even this morning,
seeing the snow having cleared and the ice having cleared so much,
and thankful to be able to be out and about more safely as well.
And we just pray that you will continue to watch over us in the week ahead
and keep us safe and guide us in it.
We thank you for the Sunday school resuming today and the Bible class,
and just pray your blessing on all our young people and the teachers to us well,
Lord, that you will just be with us in these days
and help us together to grow in our knowledge of you,
to grow in the wonder of Jesus,
the one who came for us,
the one who is a savior for his people,
and the one who will come again,
the one who is with you even now,
and we await his coming,
not knowing when that will be, Lord,
but making ourselves ready for it.
Help us to do so.
Bless us, Lord, we pray,
as homes and families and as a community as a whole,
look down upon us today
and upon all your people who gather in this way,
and far and wide, Lord,
that your spirit would be poured out upon us.
So, look, be with us now.
Go before us.
Pardon our sins.
And all we ask, we ask in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Just a word to the young folks before we go out to Sunday school,
Bible class and tweenies.
It's good to be back together after a holiday time.
I hope you all enjoyed a good holiday.
It's nice to be back together.
But it's been quite a strange week for us this week
when all of a sudden it turned so cold
and the snow and ice came.
So we don't see it very often,
but it was there pretty much all of this week.
And it can be beautiful to look at in many ways,
but it can also be very dangerous.
People slip, cars slide in it,
so it can be very dangerous as well.
And that makes us thankful
when there are those who go out
to help us in these conditions.
And especially this past week,
thankful for gritters going out
and putting salt on the road
to try and keep the ice away.
And I don't know if you've ever seen it,
but in the last couple of years,
everything seems to go online.
And you get this map now that you can see of Scotland.
And you can follow gritters around.
You can see where different gritters are,
the lorries are,
and many of them now have names.
I don't know if you've seen this,
but many of the gritters have names.
I don't think they do it in our own island here
in terms of tracking them,
but maybe they've given them names as well.
But I was looking at some of the names that you see.
And here's a few of them
and see what you make of this.
And these are all names that you see
written on the lorry,
on the side or on the front of the lorry.
There was one that was called Control Salt Delete.
Another was called Grit and Bear It.
Ready Salted was another one.
Snowmer Simpson.
That was one of them.
Salt Disney.
Again, you can see how they're just playing on words.
Another one had I Want to Break Freeze.
And the last one I saw was Ready Spready Go.
And what you see is they're giving them these names.
And you see the whole idea behind it
isn't just that we have a laugh about it,
but what it does is it makes us aware of them.
It sort of shows us the important work that they're doing.
And it just makes us show an interest in it
because maybe before we just thought nothing of it.
The lorries were going out and doing their work
and that was it.
But it kind of highlights what they're doing
and the importance of it.
And it's all for our safety.
All the names that you see there,
they've got in mind that the work that they're doing
is to clear the way for us.
And it got me to thinking as well
how many names we see of Jesus.
Jesus has many different names in the Bible.
And they're all associated with what he's doing for us.
Just like the gritters go out and prepare the way
for us to go about safely,
Jesus came to go ahead of us
and to prepare the way for us.
And he was given more than one name.
He was given many names.
And I've just written down a few of the names
that Jesus has as well.
And they all speak to us about his power
and his authority.
Christ is one name that he's given.
That is the anointed one,
the one sent by God.
He's given the name Jesus
because that means he will save his people
from their sins.
He was called Emmanuel,
which means God with us.
He was called the rock
because he's the foundation of the church,
of our salvation.
He was called Redeemer
because he came paying a price for us.
He was called Shepherd
because he guides and watches over his people.
He was called the Lamb
because he came to give himself
as a perfect sacrifice.
So you see,
gritters are given all these different names
just to remind us of what they're doing,
the importance of them going before us.
But Jesus too is given many names.
But they are all reminding us
of the importance of remembering him
and what he has done for us.
That he is the one who goes before us all,
preparing a way for his people,
keeping his people safe,
and ultimately bringing them safely home.
So we're thankful that in conditions
like we had this week,
that there are so many people
who help to keep us safe and well.
We give thanks to God
for everyone who helps in these times.
But we thank God too
for the reminder that he is the one
who goes before us
and prepares a way for us.
Well, thank you for listening.
May God bless these thoughts too.
We're going to say the Lord's Prayer together now.
Amen.
We're going to sing again to God's praise
this time in Psalm 119
in the Scottish Psalter,
page 407 of the psalm books.
Psalm 119.
We're singing at verse 89,
page 407.
Singing the whole of this section together.
Psalm 119 at verse 89.
We'll sing from verse 89
down to the end of that section
to God's praise.
We stand to sing.
Thy word forever is, O Lord,
in heaven settled fast,
unto all generations.
Thy faithfulness at last.
The earth thou hast established,
and it abides by thee.
This day they stand,
as thou ordainst
for all thy servants be.
Unless in thy most perfect law
my soul's delight
have found,
I should have perished
when as my troubles did abound.
Thy precepts I will ne'er forget,
they quickening to me brought.
Lord, I am thine,
O save thou me,
thy precepts I have sought.
For me the wicked have laid weight,
me seeking to destroy.
But as I test him all he's true,
consider will with joy.
an end of all perfection,
here have I seen, O God,
O God.
But as for thy commandment,
it is exceeding broad.
We'll turn together to read God's word
in 1st Thessalonians chapter 5.
1st Thessalonians chapter 5.
You'll find it around page 1189.
We read the whole of this chapter together.
1st Thessalonians chapter 5 at verse 1.
Now concerning the times and the seasons,
brothers,
you have no need to have anything written to you.
For you yourselves are fully aware
that the day of the Lord will come
like a thief in the night.
While people are saying,
there is peace and security,
then sudden destruction will come upon them
as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman,
and they will not escape.
But you are not in darkness, brothers,
for that day to surprise you like a thief.
For you are all children of light,
children of the day.
We are not of the night or of the darkness.
So then let us not sleep as others do,
but let us keep awake and be sober.
For those who sleep, sleep at night,
and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
But since we belong to the day,
let us be sober,
having put on the breastplate of faith and love,
and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
For God has not destined us for wrath,
but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep,
we might live with him.
Therefore, encourage one another
and build one another up just as you are doing.
We ask you, brothers, 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 faint-hearted,
help the weak,
be patient with them all.
See that no one repays anyone evil 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.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you is faithful.
He will surely do it.
Brothers, pray for us.
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Amen.
And may God add his blessing to that reading of his word.
We'll again engage in a word of prayer.
Let us pray.
Father, we do thank you for your word,
and we thank you for all the instruction it gives.
There is instruction there to discipline in the sense of admonish one another.
But there is also the sense of encouraging one another,
of being patient with one another.
And we thank you for all the variety that your word reminds us of,
that life isn't just a simple black and white in so many ways,
but that we have so many differences in life.
We are all made in your image, and yet we are all so different in ourselves.
We live in parts of the world which are so different in many different ways,
when we think of the extreme weathers that we see,
and we see the surroundings that we see around us.
And yet, Lord, we know that you are God and Lord of all.
And so we thank you for the variety in life,
but we thank you for the constancy that there is too,
that you are one who does not change,
that you are one God, and that there is one Saviour, Christ Jesus,
and that there is one Spirit who you have poured out upon your people.
And we thank you that in those we have that unchangeable Trinity.
We have God who is one and yet three persons.
And we pray, Lord, that we would know your power with us in that way,
the power that you are as God and Lord of all,
that as you speak, Lord, that you would give us ears to hear.
The Saviour who is Christ Jesus, that we would see him more and more,
that we would know him and love him and serve him.
And the Holy Spirit who you have given,
that we would seek not to quench that Spirit or to grieve it in any way,
but indeed to be stirred up by that Spirit, to love and to good works.
And we thank you for all the encouragement that you give us,
for every blessing that is ours in Christ,
and for your faithfulness towards us, that you are a God who remembers.
And we thank you for that each day, Lord, that you are promised to be with us,
that you meet us in all our different needs,
and that you are one who is faithful always towards us.
And help us, Lord, to live in light of your truth,
the truth that we have just read of, that you are a,
that the Lord Jesus will come again.
And the truth that we have read, that we are to be prepared for that time.
And that you would indeed bless us by your word and by your Spirit today,
that we would be encouraged all the more to seek the Lord while he may be found,
and to call upon him while he is near.
And we do thank you, Lord, for your church that you are building.
Even as we have reflected on the names given to Jesus, the one who prepares the way for us,
the rock was there, the one who is the cornerstone upon which the church is built.
And we thank you that you are indeed building your church.
And we pray for your kingdom to come in power.
For the church that you are building here in our own midst and in our town, Lord,
that you will continue to be the one who guides and who helps,
and who builds it to your glory.
That you would call people to yourself.
That sinners should be saved.
That your people will be built up here.
And we do pray, Lord, even in the week ahead,
that you will show us your Spirit and your will for us.
And we do pray for the meeting of the Vacancy Committee to that end
and this coming week on Tuesday evening as they gather.
And for all of us as a congregation that we would have that prayerfully in our minds at all times.
Seeking your will for us, Lord.
Seeking one who would come and minister, who would be called by you and shown to us by you.
That you would give us a united spirit to that end.
And that we would know the will of God in all of these things.
We do thank you, Lord, for all who help with preaching.
Not just here, but throughout our islands at this time.
Especially with the many vacancies that we are experiencing just now.
We thank you for all who are out proclaiming the gospel even at this time.
Many who have served you over many years in congregations
and who are now retired and yet still so willing to serve you.
We thank you for each one.
We thank you for those who are lay preachers too.
For those who have other work during the week
and who give time to prepare and to preach on the Lord's Day.
We thank you for everyone who you equip to that.
And we pray, Lord, that you will indeed build up others.
Call others to come and proclaim the glorious riches of Christ.
And to serve you even in the ministry, whether it be part-time or full-time.
That we would see your hand upon us, Lord, providing for us.
So remember our congregations.
Remember our people.
Remember our land at this time.
We do commit all our ways to you.
And just pray guidance and help and wisdom towards us as a people.
Remember all ends of the earth.
We see so much going on around us.
We see the wildfires in America and Los Angeles there just now.
And the devastation that's brought.
So many lives lost there as well.
And, Lord, it's hard for us just to imagine these circumstances
and how quickly it changes.
Lord, we pray for the fires to be quenched there and for lives to be rebuilt in the midst of it all.
We think too of lands where there is war in the Middle East and the Ukraine.
In many parts of the world, Lord, we know there are tensions and conflicts.
So many even hidden from us.
So many losing their lives day by day in the midst of it.
Not just those who are soldiers, but innocent people too.
Young people.
We do pray for peace in our world.
Thankful that you are a God who is able to do so much more than all that we ask or imagine.
Thankful that we have that power in prayer to come to you.
And to know that you are one who is able.
So, Lord, we pray that as your church, as your people, far and wide,
that you would hear our pleas towards you and have mercy upon us.
Remember us as a people here in our homes, in our families.
Remember those who are mourning and grieving at this time, whose hearts are sore.
Remember those who are unwell.
Remember those who are going through all kinds of trials and difficulties.
Lord, we know the needs are so many around us.
And we just pray, Lord, for your spirit, for your grace upon us, for your mercy to be with us.
And we do thank you, Lord, that in all things we can look to you.
For we know that if we look to ourselves that we are so weak and frail.
But in you we have one who is Lord and God of all.
Even as we think of Thomas of old, as he said,
unless he would see your hands and your side, that he would not believe.
And yet when he saw, he was so humbled.
And all he could say was, my Lord and my God.
We pray, Lord, that we would have these days when we, in all our doubts and fears and worries,
are able to see your power at work and just come humbly before you, saying, in all glory to you, my Lord and my God.
So may your will be done in all things.
And may you hear our prayers.
And may you pardon us for all our sins.
That's all we ask.
We ask in the precious name of Jesus and for his glory.
Amen.
We're going to sing again to God's praise.
This time in Psalm 52.
We sing Psalm's version, page 69 of the Psalm books.
Psalm 52, page 69.
The tune is Wetherby.
We're singing from verse 5 down to verse 9, the end of the Psalm.
But God will surely bring you down to ruin and disgrace.
He will uproot you from your tent and from your dwelling place.
There's a sense here of the judgment of God.
And yet at the end of the Psalm, we see the Psalm is able to give praise and glory to God.
But I am like an olive plant in God's house growing free.
I trust in God's unfailing love to all eternity.
We'll sing from verse 5 down to the end of the Psalm to God's praise.
Psalm 52, verse 5, verse 10, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing, singing singing
from your dead and from your dwelling place.
He'll snatch you from the land of life
and carry you away.
The righteous seeing this will fear,
then they will huff and sing.
This is the man who for his strength
on God did not rely.
He trusted in his wealth and power
to raise himself on high.
But I am like an olive plant
in God's house growing free.
I trust in God's unfailing love
to all eternity.
I'll praise you ever for your deeds.
My hope is in your name
And in the presence of your saints
I will extol your fame
Well, we can turn back to our reading
in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5.
We can read again at verse 19.
We're going to look at really verse 12
down to verse 22.
We can read again at verse 19.
Do not quench the spirit.
Do not despise prophecies.
But test everything.
Hold fast to what is good.
Abstain from every form of evil.
We looked at the first part of this chapter
a couple of weeks ago,
just before Christmas,
and we were looking at
how it speaks of
the coming of the Lord.
It was a time when so many
were thinking of counting down
to something significant.
Counting down how we often do
to different events
that go on in our life.
Whether we're thinking of Christmas
or something else in life,
we have a countdown towards that day.
But as we think of what it speaks of
in the beginning of this chapter
and the second coming of the Lord,
it's not a day we can just count down to
in that way
because it's not a day we know
when it will be.
And so there was the importance
of preparing ourselves
each day for that coming
of the Lord.
And we looked at it under three headings.
We had the awareness,
I think of being aware of the situation,
aware of the seasons,
and aware of the solution
in terms of making ourselves ready.
But it leads on to that,
another question,
in light of that,
when we think of the coming
of the Lord
and not knowing
when that day will be.
And the question would be,
well, what do we do in the meantime?
How do we live
in the meantime?
And that is what Paul addresses
as he goes on in this chapter.
He continues,
in light of the Lord's return,
as you see it,
as it goes on towards
the end
of the chapter,
in verse 23,
it says,
Now may the God of peace himself
sanctify you completely,
and may your whole spirit
and soul and body
be kept blameless
at the coming
of the Lord Jesus.
So,
at the end
of what we're looking at today,
it's speaking there
about the coming
of the Lord again.
And it's what we do
in the meantime,
how we prepare ourselves.
So,
Paul gives instructions
to us
in this section
in between
verse 12
down to verse 22,
how we are to live,
how we are to press on,
how we are to go forward.
So,
there are instructions
for our lives now,
but also instructions
in light of eternity.
And I read somewhere
this week
just how people
live their lives
differently
in light of life
and in light of eternity.
Some people will live
with that,
well,
life is short,
enjoy it,
that kind of attitude
towards things.
Life is short,
enjoy it.
Whereas,
more importantly,
we should look at it
this way,
eternity is long,
prepare for it.
It's not just a case
of life now.
Make the most of it,
enjoy it
as you want
to please yourself,
but in light of eternity,
which is long,
which is endless,
prepare for that.
So,
live your life
in that way.
But,
these two ideas
remind us
how often
we are pulled
in different directions.
How often
we have so many
things affecting us
and speaking to us
around us
that are pulling us
in these two
different directions,
especially.
It is that sense
of
life is short,
just enjoy it.
One way we're being
pulled in that direction
or other times
we're thinking of
eternity,
it is long,
prepare
for that.
What's more
important
to us?
Surely,
it is
eternity,
but we're pulled
in different directions
so often.
Just look back
over the last week
for yourself.
Beginning on Monday,
I'm sure we all
had plans
for different things
that we were going
to do.
But how did
these plans
work out?
Maybe you had
a list of things
you wanted to achieve
between Monday
and Saturday,
a to-do list
as we so often have.
And yet,
if you look back,
I'm sure,
like me,
you find that there
were many things
that you'd planned
to do at the start
of the week
that are still there
to be done
because something
has taken you away.
Your attention
has been taken away
to something else.
And sometimes
these things happen.
Interruptions come.
Distractions come.
There's nothing
we can do about them.
They're legitimate.
But other times,
we're distracted
just for the wrong reasons.
We think,
well,
this is important,
but I can go
and just procrastinate
and do something else
in the meantime.
I'll just put that away.
It's often the case
for us.
It can be like that
for things
during the week,
but what about
when we think back
to the last Lord's Day?
What you heard
last Lord's Day
was in the morning
or the evening.
Perhaps there was
something
that spoke to you,
something that
pricked your conscience.
and made you think,
there's something
I need to address
here in my life.
I need to prayerfully
look at this situation
in my life
and think,
how are things
going to change?
How are things
going to be different?
But did it happen?
Perhaps you're left here
with that sense of,
I need to look at this
seriously,
prayerfully.
But then there's
distractions.
You're pulled
in different directions.
Interruptions come,
distractions come.
And so it goes on,
the important things
are left aside.
And you become,
well,
life is short,
let me get this done.
And you forget,
eternity is long.
I need to prepare
for that.
The church
at Thessalonica
was a young church,
young believers,
young in the faith.
And as you read
through it,
you find
there were people
who were pulled
in different directions
themselves as well.
They knew
what they needed
ultimately was Christ.
And yet at the same time,
there were those
around them
who were pulling them
away from that
and pulling them
in different directions.
And so as Paul
is writing to them,
it's to encourage them
to have that focus.
And how to live
in light of the Lord's return,
how to live
in light of eternity,
is to have a focus
always on Christ,
to look to him,
because we're so easily
pulled in different directions.
And so I want us
to look at three things
from this passage today,
just to help us
to live in light
of the Lord's return,
enabling us to live
in light of
what our priorities
should be
with a focus
always on Christ.
The hymn
in Christ alone
it speaks at one point,
it says this,
as he stands
in victory,
since curse
has lost
its grip on me,
for I am his
and he is mine,
bought with the
precious blood
of Christ.
It speaks here
of since curse
has lost
its grip on me
as we're trusting
in him.
But sin is still there.
And that's the challenge
for us as we live
our lives.
Sin is still there.
And how do we seek
to live a more
Christ-glorifying life?
Well, in verse 19
into verse 21,
there's three things
there that we want
to see that helps us.
And Paul,
putting it in three I's,
if you like,
we have inflame,
ingest,
and inspect.
Three things
that we want to do
in life that will help us
live a life
that's more focused
on Christ.
And the first
is this inflame.
In verse 19,
it says,
do not quench
the Spirit.
So the opposite
in terms of
don't quench it
would be to make sure
that the Spirit
is giving life.
The Spirit is the fire
in your soul.
The one that is
guiding you
in life.
There is to be
obedience
to the Holy Spirit.
And that's
the first thing
that we want
to see here.
When we're pulled
in different directions,
it can be that
quenching effect
on the Spirit
because we know
the Spirit
is working.
When the Spirit
is speaking to us,
and yet we can
grieve the Spirit,
we can quench
the Spirit
by being disobedient.
And when you look
at how Paul
and Silvanus
or Silas
is another translation
and Timothy,
how did they end up
in Thessalonica?
Was this where
they were going to?
Was this where
they were aiming for?
No.
But they were led there
by the Holy Spirit.
When you go back
to the book of Acts,
it shows us more
of how Paul
came to Thessalonica
and other places.
And when he came
to Thessalonica,
it was in this way,
in Acts 16,
verse 7.
They were on
their journey,
they were making
their way,
but it says,
when they had come
to Mysia,
they attempted
to go to Bithynia,
but the Spirit
of Jesus
did not allow them.
You see,
the Spirit of Jesus
did not allow them.
So passing by Mysia,
they went down
to throw us.
And a vision
appeared to Paul
in the night.
A man of Macedonia
was standing there,
urging him
and saying,
come over to Macedonia
and help us.
The Spirit
was prompting.
The Spirit
was moving.
And they could have
just said,
well, no,
we're going this way.
But they knew
that would be
quenching the Spirit,
being disobedient
to the will of God.
And so they put
themselves
into the Lord's hands.
They followed
the prompting
of the Spirit.
Otherwise,
they would have
been disobedient.
They would have
been grieving
the Holy Spirit.
And so we,
in our own lives,
we so often
quench the Spirit,
I'm sure.
We all do it
at some point.
Because the Spirit
is working,
and yet we're
disobedient.
We go in a
different direction.
We're pulled
in different directions.
And we follow
our own feelings.
We follow
our own emotions.
We follow
our own desires.
All of these things.
And we're quenching
the Spirit.
Because the work
of the Spirit
is to fan
into flame
the life
that is in us.
the Spirit
was poured out
on the day of Pentecost,
as you see
in the book of Acts.
It's the power
of the church.
We are alive
in Christ
through the Spirit.
It is
the fire
that
is not there
when we are dead
in our trespasses
and sins,
as Ephesians
speaks about.
But by grace
we are made alive.
That fire
comes into
our soul.
And the Lord
puts this fire
in us.
But we are not
to quench
that Spirit.
We are to keep
it alive
and flame it
in our lives
and our hearts.
Somebody spoke
of it as
the wick
that burns
in oil
in this way.
Imagine a wick
that is placed
in oil
and then lit.
If the oil
runs out
the wick
burns.
But as long
as there is oil
the wick
doesn't burn.
See,
when you watch
the wick
in the oil,
it's the oil
that's burning.
It's not the wick.
But as soon
as the oil
is gone,
the wick
will soon
burn out.
So the person
said,
as long as
we are living
in dependence
on the power
of the Holy Spirit,
we do not
burn out.
But the question
is,
what's burning?
What's burning?
And that's
the question
that the people
in Thessalonica
had to face up to.
What was burning
in their lives?
What were they
feeding into
their souls?
What fire
were they
feeding?
In terms of
what direction
they were being
pulled in.
And being pulled
in different ways,
different directions.
It's pulled away
from the Word of God
just like pouring
cold water
on the fire
and it goes out.
And we can
experience that.
We can experience it
in our own lives.
We go away
from church.
We go away
from a place
where we enjoyed
good fellowship
or good preaching
or just a good spirit.
We go away
and yet so soon
afterwards
we quench that.
The fire just
seems to go out.
And sometimes
it's by our own
choosing,
our own making
the wrong decisions.
We don't feed
that flame
the way that we
should.
See,
there's two types
of fires
in life.
There's one
we could say
it's the essential
fire.
The fire
for our boilers.
The fire
in our fireplace.
The one that
gives off warmth
and heat
and keeps us
well and happy
at home
in that sense
and keeps things
moving along.
But there's another
fire that we see
that's destruction.
It's full of
destruction.
And we see it
in this past week
in Los Angeles,
the devastation
that a wildfire
can bring.
How these homes,
it's a horrendous
picture to see.
Hard to comprehend
the destruction,
the devastation.
Places just
wiped out
in no time.
And that's
the danger
with the fires
that we have
in life as well.
The fire of sin
that can so easily
just devastate
our lives.
Or the fire
of the spirit
that just keeps
us going.
But which one
is it that we're
feeding?
And which one
are you
extinguishing?
So Paul is
saying here,
do not quench
the spirit.
When the spirit
is working,
you know yourself
when it is.
Don't quench it.
Don't turn away
from it.
Don't let yourself
be pulled away
in a different
direction.
Seek the Lord.
Pour out your heart
to him.
Pray to him
to help you
along the way
and to keep
that fire
aflame.
to keep
that fire
burning
in your heart.
So do not
quench
the spirit.
You see
then in verse
20,
immediately
Paul says
then,
do not
despise
prophecies.
So again
we think
here,
what's he
saying to us?
Do not quench
the spirit.
Keep that
fire going.
But here
we think
of what we
ingest,
how we
ingest
something.
Do not
despise
the prophecies.
How do we
feed the fire?
Well we
feed it
by giving
it fuel.
If you
cut the
fuel,
the fire
goes out.
Simple as
that.
And so
we need
to
fuel
the fire
of our
souls
as well.
And what
he says
here is
do not
despise
the
prophecies.
What
were the
prophecies
that he
was speaking
about
here?
Well the
people would
be familiar
with the
prophets
of the
Old Testament
such as
we are
too.
Prophets
role was
to proclaim
the word
of God
that was
given to
them.
And it
didn't
matter
what was
given,
they had
to tell
the people
what they
needed to
hear.
But what
so often
happened
was as
they
proclaimed
these
words,
they were
hard words
for the
people and
the people
just pushed
it away.
They
despised
the
prophecies,
they
despised
the word
of God,
they despised
the prophets
themselves for
bringing this
word to
them.
And again
we see what
Paul is
saying here,
he's saying
do not
despise
prophecies,
do not
despise
the word
of God
because it's
so important
for you.
God spoke
in the Old
Testament
through his
prophets.
as we
come into
the New
Testament
we see
that in
the days
gone
past
he spoke
through
the
prophets
but now
he has
spoken
through
his
son
Jesus
Christ.
And so
as he's
saying
do not
despise
prophecies,
he's talking
here not
just about
the prophets
of old
but he's
talking about
Jesus
Christ
as well.
Do not
despise
his word,
do not
despise
him.
this is
the word
that has
been given
for you.
This is
the word
that has
been given
to the
church,
to the
people of
God.
And we
are to
hear
what the
word of
God
says.
But so
many people
just want
to push
this word
away,
despise
the word,
despise
Jesus
who is
the word
that became
flesh.
Push
him away.
But there's
a warning,
do not
despise
it.
Don't
live your
life in
that way.
Life is
short,
enjoy it.
Push
this away
because God
has given
his word
to us
that we
might
prepare
for
eternity.
We
have
the word
of God
but so
many people
only hear
part of
this word.
They focus
on just
maybe parts
of the
text.
What
does
Jesus
say
to his
people?
What
did people
so often
hear from
him?
Words
like,
in this
world
you will
have
troubles
and they
stop
listening.
Stop
listening at
that point.
Troubles.
I don't
want
troubles.
I just
want to
do things
my own
way.
Blessed
are the
persecuted.
Again,
stop
listening at
that point.
Persecution.
I'm going
to have to
suffer that
to follow
Jesus.
I want
nothing of
that.
Push it
away.
Despise
it.
Take up
your
cross.
Again,
it's just
like stop
listening at
that point.
There's
going to
be
hardship.
There's
going to
be
trials.
That's
not
for me.
I
despise
these
things.
So
instead
of
ingesting
it,
instead
of
taking
it
in,
they're
just
pushing
it
away.
But
by doing
this,
they're
not
seeing
what
God
has
given
to
us.
The
full
word
of
God,
the
full
prophecy
as it
were,
because
we
stop
listening
when
we
hear
the
hard
bits.
But
when
Jesus
says,
blessed
are those
who are
persecuted,
it doesn't
stop
there.
Blessed
are those
who are
persecuted
for
righteousness
sake,
for
my
sake.
And
he
says,
for
theirs
is the
kingdom
of
heaven.
And
you
miss
out.
You
listen
to
the
first
part
and
think,
I
don't
want
that,
but
then
you
miss
out
on
the
second
part.
Miss
out
on
the
kingdom
of
God.
In
this
world
you
will
have
many
troubles,
Jesus
said.
Oh,
I
don't
want
to
know
that,
I
don't
want
to
hear
that.
But
Jesus
says,
but
be
of
good
courage,
for
I
have
overcome
the
world.
So by
just
listening
to
parts,
by
pushing
it
away,
by
not
ingesting
it,
we are
seeing
just
half
the
story,
half
the
truth.
And
we're
not
listening,
we're
despising
the
prophecies,
and
despising
the
one who
is the
word
himself.
But
when it's
proclaimed,
we need
to hear
it in
all its
fullness.
When
you think
of Romans
8,
that
wonderful
passage,
it
speaks
of
so
many
of
the
trials
of
life,
but
yet
nothing
shall
separate
us
from
the
love
of
God
that
is
in
Christ
Jesus.
There
are
difficulties
along
the
way,
and
do
not
despise
the
fact
that
there
is,
do
not
despise
the
word
of
God
that
says
there
is,
but
instead
ingest
it,
receive
it,
be
thankful
to
God
for
it,
because
it
is
a
wider,
a
whole
truth
to
be
seen,
that
he
has
overcome,
that
nothing
shall
separate
us
from
that
love
of
God
in
Christ
Jesus.
So we
need to
hear
the
word
of
God.
That
is
what
prepares
us
for
eternity.
God
the
third
and
final
thing
I
want
us
to
see
here
is
it
says
in
verse
21,
but
test
everything.
Inspect,
look for
yourself
at this
truth.
As with
the Old
Testament
into the
New,
there was
a
problem,
same
problem
that
exists
today.
How
do
we
know
what
to
believe?
How
do
we
know
what
is
right?
Because
we
are
indeed
pulled
in
all
kinds
of
different
directions.
But
Paul
says
but
test
everything
and
hold
fast
to
what
is
good.
Abstain
from
every
form
of
evil.
In
Thessalonica,
as in
many
cities
of
Paul's
day,
there
was
the
place
at
the
gate
or
the
marketplace
where
information
was
shared,
where
people
gathered
and
everybody
had
all
kinds
of
different
opinions
that
they
would
hear
this
is
what
you
are
to
believe.
No,
this
is
what
you
are
to
believe.
And
that's
very
often
where
you
would
find
Paul
himself
going
to
the
midst
of
the
marketplace,
to
the
city
gate
where
the
people
were
gathered.
He
would
hear
what
they
were
thinking
but
also
speak
to
them
the
truth
of
God's
word.
And
the
people
then
had
to
test
for
themselves
inspect
messages
that
we
hear.
An
abundance
of
voices
speaking
to us
opinions
being
put
across.
Said
last
week,
we're
drowning
in
information
but
lacking
in
wisdom.
And
if you
want to
believe
something
from
God's
word
that
suits
any
position
in
this
world,
you
will
find
someone
who
will
tell
you,
here's
a
text.
But
so often
it's
twisted.
So often
it's not
truth.
It's
just
something
that's
a
truth
that
is
a
half
truth.
And
it's
not
the
full
word
of
God.
So
what
are
we
to
do?
Well
Paul's
advice
for us
here
is
test
everything.
What
do we
test
it
against?
We
test
it
against
the
whole
word
of
God.
What
does
the
Bible
say
in
its
entirety?
Thessalonica
was a
place
that
was
pulled
in
different
directions.
But
in
the
place
where
Paul
and
Silas
went
to
after
being
in
Thessalonica
a
place
called
Berea.
You
read of
this
in
Acts
chapter
17.
Again
you
see
just
that
missionary
journey
continuing
and what
it says
of the
people
in
Berea
was
this
now
these
Jews
were
more
noble
than
those
in
Thessalonica
they
received
the
word
with
all
eagerness
examining
the
scriptures
daily
to see
if
these
things
were
so
it's
what
Paul
is
saying
here
to
Thessalonica
they
were
doing
in
Berea
test
everything
so
they
received
the
word
with
eagerness
examining
the
scriptures
daily
to see
if
these
things
were
so
it's
a
case
of
being
immersed
in
the
word
of
God
testing
the
truth
inspecting
it
for
ourselves
we
see
so
many
fake
products
in
the
markets
today
something
that
looks
so
good
and
so
like
the
real
thing
but
the
price
is
so
much
cheaper
you
think
well
I'll
take
it
but
it's
fake
and
it's
dangerous
and
so
it
is
with
the
word
of
God
we
inspect
it
to
make
sure
it
meets
the
standard
and
what
we
hear
we
are
to
hear
and
examine
for
ourselves
and
see
if
these
things
are
so
and
we
thank
God
that
we
have
the
whole
word
of
truth
for
this
and
that
we
have
the
spirit
who
prompts
us
in
this
way
and
it's
this
word
that
tells
us
the
need
to
be
together
in
this
you
see
back
in
verse
12
he
begins
this
section
by saying
we
ask
you
brothers
there's
this
togetherness
in
all of
it
and as
he
goes
on
you
see
in
verse
13
and
14
how
he
speaks
of
being
at
peace
among
yourselves
and
then
he
says
we
urge
you
brothers
admonish
the
idle
encourage
the
faint
hearted
help
the
weak
be
patient
with
them
all
as you
read
through
this
passage
and read
through
it in
its
whole
in this
whole
section
and just
see
how we are to
live our
lives in light
of the
Lord's
coming
it's
in this
togetherness
inflaming
the
spirit
and
not
quenching
us
ingesting
taking
in the
word
of
God
and
inspecting
it
in
that
way
where
it
leads
to
a
more
God
glorifying
life
not
just
individually
but
collectively
so
when it
says
admonish
discipline
it's
always
with
the
love
of
Christ
in
mind
for
people's
good
and
when it
speaks
about
encourage
the
faint
hearted
again
it's
that
sense
of
doing
it
for
the
glory
of
God
not
looking
down
on
people
but
encouraging
people
help
the
weak
again
it
just
goes
on
be
patient
with
them
all
we're
pulled
in
different
directions
we go
away
from
here
with
the
spirit
stirring
in
our
heart
but
no
sooner
are
we
out
the
door
and
something
takes
us
away
and
instead
of
encouraging
we're
putting
down
instead
of
being
patient
we're
impatient
!
All
of
these
things
can
so
quickly
be
taken
from
us
and
so
as
Paul
is
saying
here
live
your
life
not
just
in
the
short
time
life
is
short
enjoy
it
but
in
light
of
eternity
preparing
for
that
and
to
do
so
is
to
take
heed
of
the
word
of
God
what
it
is
saying
to
us
do
not
quench
the
spirit
inflame
it
feed
that
in
your
soul
not
despise
the
prophecies
don't
turn
away
from
the
word
of
God
because
some
of
the
things
are
hard
for
us
to
see
or
hear
but
see
the
fullness
of
the
word
the
one
who
has
overcome
the
world
and
test
everything
look
to
yourself
but
look
to
God
and
see
Lord
your
word
is
truth
help
me
to
understand
and
to
know
you're
not
alone
but
that
we
do
this
together
even
when
we
think
of
our
Bible
study
once
a
month
these
truths
alone
it's
so
good
to
gather
and
share
together
around
these
important
truths
to
inspect
them
to
test
them
and
to
share
them
together
and
see
here
is
the
word
of
God
that
fans
the
flame
of
faith
in
our
life
that
feeds
our
soul
through
the
word
of
God
that
keeps
us
going
in
life
and
prepares
us
for
eternity
so
may
we
hear
God's
word
today
and
may
it
be
blessed
to
us
and
help
us
to
live
in
light
of
the
Lord's
return
preparing
ourselves
even
now
let
us
pray
our
father
in
heaven
we
do
thank
you
for
your
word
and
help
us
even
today
as we
go
out
of
here
that
we
would
not
quench
the
spirit
that
we
would
not
despise
the
prophecies
that
we
would
even
go
home
and
test
everything
that
we
have
heard
and
hold
fast
to
what
is
good
and
abstain
from
every
form
of
evil
Lord
we
thank
you
for
your
spirit
that
helps
us
and
we
pray
to
know
the
power
even
in
our
midst
today
of
you
ministering
to
us
as we
ask
all
seeking
your
glory
amen
we're
going to
conclude
by singing
to God's
praise
in
Psalm
146
verse 5
page
446
of the
psalm books
psalm 146
at
verse 5
oh happy
is that
man
and
blessed
whom
Jacob's
God
doth
aid
whose
hope
upon
the
Lord
doth
rest
and
on
his
God
is
stayed
we're
going to
sing
verse 5
to 7
the tune
of
Stroud
Water
and we
stand
to
sing
O
happy
is
that
man
and
blessed
whom
Jacob's
God
doth
hate
whose
hope
upon
the
heart
doth
rest
and
on
his
goddess
stay
who
made
the
earth
and
heaven
spy
who
made
the
swelling
deep
and
all
that
is
within
the
same
who
truth
doth
ever
keep
who
righteous
judgment
executes
for
those
oppressed
that
be
who
to
the
hungry
giveth
food
God
sets
the
prisoners
free
after
the
benediction
I'll go
to the
door
to my
right
we'll
close
with
the
benediction
now may
grace
mercy
and peace
from
God
Father
Son
and
Holy
Spirit
rest
upon
and
abide
with
you
all
now
and
forever
more
amen
to