All right, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, verses 4 through 7.
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.
You know what kind of men we prove 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 Achaia.
Amen.
Have you ever heard the phrase, the proof is in the pudding?
That's a weird phrase, isn't it?
It's kind of an odd thing.
I thought about that this week in studying this passage,
and I thought, I don't even really know what that means.
I'm going to look that up.
Apparently, it's a shortened version of an expression that dates back even to the 17th century,
maybe even earlier than that.
The original expression goes like this.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Now, it's a simple statement, isn't it?
The expression simply means that you can only know the quality and authenticity of a thing
once you have tried or used or experienced it.
Last week in our partner meeting, we had a chili cook-off.
You can say that your chili recipe is better than anyone else's.
The proof will be in the eating of the chili, right?
Again, in the passage before us in these short verses,
Paul makes a bold and confident claim about the Christians in Thessalonica.
You saw it right there in verse 4.
He wrote that he knows for certain, for we know, brothers loved by God,
that he has chosen you.
He says, I know for certain that God has chosen to save you,
that you are part of God's elect, he means.
Now, of course, it comes in the midst of his thanksgiving to God
for the Thessalonians' faith, love, and hope in Jesus Christ.
That's what we studied last Sunday.
But as we discovered last week, it does seem odd
that Paul would recall the actions of the Thessalonians
and instead of thanking them, he thanked God for those actions.
That's odd, isn't it?
Because we give thanks to those who are ultimately responsible
for a particular act.
Gus is celebrating a birthday this week.
And since my daughters are in Raleigh and worship with their grandfather today,
they couldn't be here to celebrate with him.
So they sent me a gift and they said,
make sure that you give this to Gus since we can't be at his party.
So before service this morning, I brought it in and I said,
here you go, Gus, this is from Ashland and Harper.
They're sorry they can't be there for your party today,
but they wanted to wish you a happy birthday.
Now, it would have been really weird if Gus would have looked at me
and take that present and said, oh man, this is wonderful.
And then turn to Marty and say, thank you, Marty.
Thank you for this gift.
That would be weird, wouldn't it?
And yet that's exactly what Paul does in this passage.
In verse number three, he says, we thank God for you.
And then he goes on to explain that what he's giving thanksgiving for
is something that the Thessalonians have done,
but the object of his thanksgiving is God.
That seems weird.
We give thanks to those who are ultimately responsible for an act.
And what Paul understands in this text and what he communicates in the text
is that God and his grace was the definitive cause of the Thessalonians' conversion.
And when we get to these verses, verses four through seven,
what we find Paul doing is he explaining that further.
He's explaining to them why he's giving thanks to God.
And the interpretive clue for that is in the very first word of verse four.
It's the conjunction four, which is a grounding statement.
It's referring back to something else,
which we can see very clearly is this thanksgiving.
In other words, verse four, this phrase,
is the grounding statement that explains why Paul is thanking God in particular.
And what is the content of this explanation in verse four?
It is God's electing love of the Thessalonian Christians.
We might read it this way.
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
for we know, brothers and sisters loved by God,
that he has chosen you.
That's the principal clause in the passage.
Everything else that flows out from verse four through verse seven
is supporting statements for what Paul says in verse four,
that he is certain of their election.
But the question is, why is Paul saying this at all?
Why is he even bringing this up?
Why does he feel the need to make such a confident assertion
and affirmation of these people?
There's a few ways we might answer that.
We might surmise it.
It's possible that there were people in the church of Thessalonica
who were struggling with the assurance of their salvation.
And what they needed was the reassurance that is offered by Paul in these verses.
And certainly this would have been wonderfully reassuring to them.
Now you may be here this morning and that's a particular battle for you.
A struggle for you even this morning.
What you're facing is how can I know for sure that I'm saved?
How can I know for sure that God has saved me?
And this text can bring you tremendous clarity, can't it?
It can bring you clarity as to where you stand in relationship to God.
On the whole, however, it does not seem that Paul is addressing a church
that is generally overcome with doubt.
But rather a church that is overcome with discouragement.
Affliction.
Suffering.
Conflict.
Opposition.
Temptation.
Kill.
Are all words used in this letter to describe the immediate circumstances
of the Christians in Thessalonica.
Though they notably persevered in their faith, they were undoubtedly discouraged.
Because who doesn't get discouraged at the constant barrage of hardship,
especially the hardship that comes in spiritual forms.
So Paul sought to encourage his brothers and sisters in Christ by reminding them that while they are disdained
and persecuted and hated by their unbelieving neighbors,
they are loved and chosen by God.
And what a wonderful encouragement that must have been.
The doctrine of election is never meant to confuse or frustrate us.
It is always meant to encourage us.
Isn't that Paul's reasoning in Romans chapter 8?
And he says, this electing work of God.
When he gets to the end of this, that golden chain of grace, what is it that he says?
He says, if God before us, who can stand against us?
He who did not spare his own son, but gave himself for you.
And then he goes on and he says, who can separate you from the love of God?
None of these things can.
And he offers up this glorious doxology in that moment.
What is all of that relating back to?
The encouragement that can be found in God's electing love.
But Paul didn't merely say they were part of God's elect and move on.
That would be to say that, well, the proof is in the chili recipe on its own.
That's not what Paul does.
No, he substantiated the claim by recalling the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the Thessalonians' conversion to Christ
and in the Spirit's persevering work in their faith.
For Paul, the proof was in the preaching of the gospel and their perseverance in affliction.
All things being orchestrated by the gracious and powerful work of the Holy Spirit.
And that is the point of this text.
You can say that you're part of God's elect.
The proof will be the same for you as it was the Thessalonians.
So this text this morning, it will either be for you a line in the sand that exposes your spiritual state,
or it will come to you as a wonderful encouragement that reminds you of God's saving love for you.
This text then reveals two ways to know that you belong to God.
Two ways to know that you belong to God.
Number one, the proof is in Spirit-empowered preaching.
The proof is in Spirit-empowered preaching.
Look at verse 5.
We know He has chosen you because our gospel came to you, not only in word, but in power, in the Holy Spirit,
and with full conviction, you knowing what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake.
The first thing Paul did to substantiate the claim was call the Thessalonians to remember their gospel beginnings.
Remember, we talked about this in great detail a couple of weeks ago,
and Paul now turns to them and he says,
I want you to remember when the gospel came to you.
There are so many things, both theological and philosophical,
that Paul and Silas and Timothy, that they could have reasoned over with the Thessalonians.
Still, it would not have been enough for them to arrive in Thessalonica preaching just anything.
It wouldn't have been enough.
For their preaching to make a lasting impact,
it had to be laser-focused on the gospel message.
For as Paul writes to the Romans,
it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
The gospel is.
But what exactly is this good news that they proclaimed in Thessalonica?
That's what gospel means.
It means good news.
What is actually the content of that gospel?
Well, we're told in Acts chapter 17, verses 2 and 3,
Paul went in, this is in Thessalonica,
as was his custom,
and on three Sabbath days,
he reasoned with them from the scriptures,
explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer
and to rise from the dead,
and saying,
this Jesus,
whom I proclaim to you,
is that Christ.
The good news of the gospel is about a Savior.
It is all about a Savior.
God promised in the scriptures that this Savior would die in the place of sinners,
and that after that death,
he would rise from the dead to prove
that his atonement was sufficient
to satisfy God's wrath,
that it would prove in his resurrection
that he provided sinners with true eternal life
because he alone has the power over life and death.
All of that is foretold in the prophets and in the law,
pointing forward to this promised Savior.
And Paul says,
Jesus of Nazareth is that Savior.
He is that Christ.
He is that Messiah.
He is the sinless Son of God
who bore the punishment for our sins,
and he rose from the dead to prove it.
That is the gospel.
And he offers forgiveness of sin.
He offers reconciliation with God.
He offers eternal life in his name
to all who will trust him.
That's the gospel message.
That's what Paul came to Thessalonica preaching.
That's what Paul went to Philippi preaching.
That's what Paul went to Berea preaching.
That's what Paul went to Athens preaching.
That's what Paul went to Corinth preaching.
Everywhere he went,
that's what he preached.
Why?
He could have preached about so many things.
He could have reasoned with them
over so many philosophical things,
particularly in Athens.
But no, he doesn't do that.
What does he do?
He goes and he preaches the gospel.
Why?
Because it is the gospel
that is the power of God
unto salvation.
There's a lot of instruction.
There's a lot of messages out there
that will stir you.
There is a lot of instruction
that may even change you.
There is only one message
that can save you.
Apart from the proclamation
of the gospel of Jesus,
you cannot be saved.
Acts chapter four,
there is salvation in no one else
for there is no other name
under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved
other than the name of Jesus.
Romans 10, 17,
faith does not come by epiphany.
Faith comes from hearing.
Hearing what?
Hearing the word of Christ.
What's the word of Christ?
It's the gospel.
It's the gospel message.
What Paul preached in Thessalonians.
How could Paul say,
well, I know for certain
that God has chosen you
because Paul knew
that what they received
was the true gospel message.
He knew what was preached to them.
And apart from the preaching
of that gospel,
there can be no salvation.
You say, well, how can I know
I'm saved?
Well, do you know the gospel?
If you don't know the gospel,
Paul, if the true gospel
has never been proclaimed to you,
you can't possibly be saved.
But it is proclaimed to you now.
Therefore, the door of faith is open.
The proof of the Thessalonians' election
is not less than the gospel message.
That's what I'm trying to say.
It's not less than the gospel message.
That is essential, of course.
But what we find in this text
is that the proof of their election
wasn't merely the words
of the gospel, though.
Look again at what he says.
Our gospel came to you
not only in word,
but in power.
Power.
We talked about this
in our Sunday school class
this morning in Lakeside Connect.
That word power,
it's deutamus.
In Greek,
it's the word we get dynamite from.
It's powerful.
It's explosive.
The source of that power,
Paul says,
is the Holy Spirit,
God himself.
The display of that power,
how he knew that that power
was actually being made evident,
was the full assurance
with which Paul preached the gospel
and with which the Thessalonians
believed the gospel.
So follow what he's saying.
I preached the gospel,
but when we preached the gospel,
it wasn't just empty words.
There was power to it,
and it wasn't our power.
It was the power
that was sourced in the Holy Spirit,
and we know that power was at work
because there was a full conviction,
not only in our preaching,
but in the way you received it.
Power.
Their gospel preaching
had a spiritual power
that could not be manufactured.
It couldn't be manipulated.
That's what he's saying.
It is a gracious work of God's Spirit
that occurs according to God's saving purposes
through the proclamation of the gospel,
whether from a pulpit on a Sunday morning
or at a coffee shop
on a Tuesday afternoon
with Bibles open,
the gospel being proclaimed.
That's where the power is.
Can I just prove that to you
in a few other places?
You're in 1 Thessalonians.
Set your eyes on chapter 2
and verse 13.
Notice what Paul says here.
We also thank God constantly for this,
that when you received the word of God,
which you heard from us,
you accepted it not as the word of men,
but as it really is,
the word of God,
which is at work in you.
Now, that's an important phrase, isn't it?
That it's not that the word,
the gospel didn't come in word only.
That's what he's saying.
But as the gospel came,
the gospel itself was doing a work,
and what was the source of that work?
The Holy Spirit.
In Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12,
that's clarified for us.
The writer says,
the word of God,
the scripture,
the gospel,
it's living,
it's active,
it's sharper than any two-edged sword.
It pierces to the division
of soul and spirit,
the joints and marrow.
It discerns the thoughts
and intentions of our heart.
That's a strange thing to say.
We read books,
and the author of Hebrews says,
the Bible is a book
that actually reads you.
Well, how does it actually do that?
It's just a book.
It's just words.
Oh, but it's not just words.
When it is infused
with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let me give you another one.
Acts chapter 16 and verse 14.
This is the narrative
of the beginnings
of the church in Philippi.
It says,
one who heard us
was a woman named Lydia.
In Thessalonica,
the Lord opened her heart
to pay attention
to what was said by Paul.
And what was said by Paul.
The same thing he said
in Thessalonica.
And there was power in it.
How did he know
there was power in it?
Because the Lord opened
her heart to believe.
First Peter chapter 1,
verse 23.
You have been born again,
not of perishable seed,
but of imperishable.
How?
Through the living
and abiding word of God,
Peter says.
And then we have in this
kind of strange statement
here at the end of this verse.
He says,
you know what kind of men
we proved to be among you.
What does he mean?
He's like,
you know.
You know what this was like.
You know who we were like.
Paul lived among the Thessalonians
in such a way
that they could be sure
of his character.
His character then
giving credibility
to the power of God
that was at work
in his preaching.
And he's going to elaborate
on this in chapter 2,
so we won't spend
a lot of time on it now.
But here he acknowledges
that they knew
he didn't behave
as some charlatan.
That he wasn't manipulating them
for personal gain.
And they knew
because they watched him live.
They saw when he refused
to take money from them.
He's going to elaborate
on that later.
He's saying,
look,
we came to you.
We preached the gospel.
And you know,
you know the character
and integrity
with which we preached
that gospel.
What they experienced
was not the power
of Paul's rhetoric,
but it was the gracious
power of God,
which is a similar argument
that Paul makes
to the Corinthians.
In 1 Corinthians 2,
he says,
when I was with you,
I came in weakness
and fear
and much trembling.
And my speech
and my message
were not in plausible
words of wisdom.
That is,
they weren't meant
to be eloquent.
I didn't come to you
trying to impress you
with my speech.
No,
my words were
in demonstration
of the Spirit
and of power
so that your faith
might not rest
in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God.
What is he saying?
He's saying that
the power of gospel preaching
is not in the speech itself.
It's in the Spirit's work
through it.
That doesn't mean
that the gospel
cannot be communicated
with eloquence,
that it cannot be communicated
with persuasive rhetoric,
apologetic,
or undeniable
apologetic
persuasion.
It's not what that means.
But what it means
is that those things
are ultimately
unnecessary
to the power
of the gospel.
And many times
they're actually
even harmful.
Why?
Because they may,
someone may rest
their faith
based on the way
someone has formed
their speech
rather than on
the thing itself.
That's what Paul's saying.
He says,
we didn't do that.
The best sermon
is utterly ineffective
without the Spirit's power.
And the most simple
and basic presentation
of the true gospel
is infinitely powerful
when the Holy Spirit
is at work in it.
And some of you,
sometimes you question yourself.
Maybe you even question
the insurance that you have
because you look back
on your conversion
and you think about the guy
that was preaching that day
and you just think,
well, that guy
was very smart.
It really wasn't that great
of a presentation.
Or maybe you look back
on it now
and you think,
you know,
I'm so different
about him
on theological things.
Can I really trust
that what he gave me
that day,
it doesn't matter.
He doesn't matter.
The speech
and the way
it was formulated,
it didn't matter.
Even the most simple
and basic presentation
of the true gospel
when it is infused
with the power
of the Spirit
will make an eternal
difference in your life.
Brian,
I think it was
Wednesday morning,
quoted R.C. Sproul
and he said,
it doesn't matter
how beautiful
a ship is
if there's no wind
in its sails.
It's just gonna
stay adrift.
Sometimes we're looking
but we say,
okay,
I'll trust Christ
when somebody
finally convinces me
with just the right argument.
No, you won't.
I can give you
every possible argument
and defend it
to perfection
and it won't make
a difference in your life
if it doesn't come
with the power
of the Spirit.
Isn't this what Jesus
meant in his conversation?
with Nicodemus?
John chapter 3,
Jesus tells Nicodemus,
don't marvel
that I said to you
you must be born again.
The wind blows
where it wishes.
You hear it sound.
You see the evidence
of it that it's there.
But you don't know
where it comes from
or where it goes.
And then Jesus says,
this is how it is
with everyone
who is born
of the Spirit.
Preaching is only effective
when it has the power
of the Spirit.
This is a soliloquy
you can take with you today.
Preaching is only effective
when it has the power
of the Spirit.
Paul's preaching
in Thessalonica
had the wind
of the Spirit.
Therefore,
he knew for certain
that God chose
the Thessalonians
and he praised God
for them.
Can I ask you,
has there been a time
in your life
when upon hearing
the gospel message,
the wind
of the Spirit
blew?
And you know
that it did
because it came
with conviction.
It convinced
a dead heart,
brought it to life.
Turning your unbelieving
stony heart
into a heart
that expressed
genuine saving faith.
That's the work
of the Spirit,
my friend.
How can I know
I belong to God?
Has the Spirit
been blowing
in your lives?
Now I want you
to follow Paul's argument
as it unfolds
in the text.
He was sure
of the Thessalonian
church's election
because his gospel
preaching
in Thessalonica
was infused
with the Spirit's power.
But how could he know
that the Holy Spirit
empowered his preaching?
Verse 6.
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.
Proof number one
is Spirit
empowered preaching.
Proof number two
in this text.
Spirit
enabled
perseverance.
Spirit
enabled
perseverance.
The proof
was in the Thessalonian
spirit
enabled perseverance
here.
When they heard
the gospel
they received it.
That is
they believed
what they heard.
And their reception
of the word
was marked
by what?
Joy.
They were excited
to hear
and believe
the gospel.
You remember
what that was like
don't you?
Don't you remember
when you finally
came to faith
or at least
when you got
to the point
where you
realized
and you
put all the
pieces together
that oh
I'm a Christian.
There's joy
that comes with that
right?
And when they
received the gospel
when they received
the word
they did so
with joy.
But again
the ultimate
proof of their
genuine conversion
was not less
than joyful
belief.
But in this verse
it's more than
joyful belief
isn't it?
For the Thessalonians.
Paul recognized
that the Holy Spirit
must have been
the one
to supply
this joy
because their
faith in the gospel
endured in
much
affliction
he says.
The proof
of the pudding
is in the eating.
The proof
of God's
electing love
is in
persevering
faith.
It's in
persevering faith.
You see this is not
something you can
determine in prospect.
It is something you
determine in
retrospect.
Jesus said
something about
this in his
parable of the
soils.
Do you remember
it?
In Mark
chapter 4
these are the
ones sown
on rocky
ground.
The ones
who when they
hear the word
immediately
receive it
with joy
but they have
no root
in themselves.
They endure
for a while.
Then when
tribulation
persecution
arises
on account
of the
word
immediately
they what?
They fall
away.
That's the
words of
Jesus.
Jesus's point
is that there
are people
who for one
reason or
another
joyfully
receive the
gospel
but their
faith proves
to be
superficial
when they
abandon it
under
challenging
circumstances.
now this
is not a
reference to
a person
in a moment
of weakness.
Think Peter
and his
three denials.
Peter's
three denials
were not true
denials were
they?
He was trying
to preserve
his life
certainly he
shouldn't have
done what he
did but Peter
wasn't really
denying Christ
personally in his
heart right?
That's different
than Judas
though isn't
it?
Judas's
betrayal and
rejection was
a heart level
rejection.
So what Jesus
is talking about
here he's not
talking about a
person who has
a moment of
weakness and a
moment of doubt
where they don't
follow through on
their faith like
they should.
The scriptures
actually clarify
for us that
this cannot be
an individual
who after truly
being saved by
God loses
or forfeits
that salvation.
Instead
the Bible
teaches us
that this
falling away
reveals that
their initial
display of
faith was not
actually authentic.
A verse we
often turn to
for that is
1 John 2
and verse 19.
John says
in speaking of
the spirit of
Antichrist
those who go
out denying
the Christ
denying the
gospel
they went out
from us
but they were
not of us
for if they
had been of
us
they would have
continued with
us
but they went
out.
Why?
That it might
become plain
that they are
not of us.
Paul was
certain of the
Thessalonians
election because
the Holy Spirit
enabled them to
persevere despite
severe persecution.
Look at this
text on the
screen from
2 Corinthians
chapter 8
verses 1 and 2.
This is when
Paul is describing
to the church
in Corinth
the struggle
of the churches
in Macedonia
which is the
church of
the Thessalonians.
We want you
to know brothers
about the grace
of God
that has been
given among
the churches
of Macedonia
for in a
severe test
of affliction
their abundance
of joy
and their
extreme poverty
have overflowed
in a wealth
of generosity
on their part.
He goes on
later and he
says this is
explained because
they first gave
themselves to
God before
they did
anything else.
By remaining
faithful in
affliction the
Thessalonian
Christians followed
in the footsteps
of the Lord
Jesus who for
the joy that
was set before
him in
endured the
cross
and what
was the net
result of the
Thessalonians
conversion and
perseverance?
Verse 7
So that
that's a purpose
statement it's a
result action
result.
What's the result?
You became an
example to all
the believers in
Macedonia and
Achaia.
We're going to
unpack that next
week but it's
important that we
recognize here the
pattern of grace
Paul was thankful
to God that the
gracious work he
was doing in the
Thessalonians resulted
in the gracious work
being accomplished in
others.
Now I told you why is
Paul saying this?
Well it could be that
some of them just
needed some assurance.
They needed to be
reassured about their
salvation but I think
this is really meant to
be an encouragement and
what a joyful
encouragement it must
have been for these
faithful persevering
Christians to know
that their suffering
was not wasted.
Not only did their
perseverance and
affliction prove God's
electing love for
them but the testimony
of it was being used
by God to bring
others to saving
persevering faith in
Jesus Christ.
The joy of which is
yet another proof of
their election.
Now before we finish
you may be struggling
at this point
because you think okay
the text is about
proofs of our
salvation.
Proofs of God's
electing love set on
us in particular.
Okay I've heard the
gospel.
I think I experienced
the power of the
Spirit in the
presentation of that
gospel because I
responded in joyful
faith.
But then you get to
this point and you
think well you know
I'm struggling a
little bit because I
don't think I've been
tested like this.
Can I actually be
assured of God's
saving grace in my
life if I haven't
gone through such
suffering?
Can I really know
that I belong to
God?
The fact is that none
of us may ever face
the kind of affliction
that the Thessalonians
endured.
But the point is not
for us to compare our
suffering to anyone
else's.
That's never
recommended.
That's never commended
in the scriptures at
all.
And that's not the
point of this statement
here.
I want to suggest to
you that if that's
where you are, that's
a struggle for you.
I want to suggest
that your faith has
been tested in more
ways than you may
realize.
Maybe your life
hasn't been
threatened.
Have you ever
faced a trial?
Some kind of
suffering in your
life and the
greatest temptation
for you was anger
at God?
How could you do
this to me?
After everything I've
done for you, how
could you do this to
me?
You're supposed to be
good.
How could you allow
this to happen in my
life?
You ever been there?
Probably, right?
Can I ask you, in the
midst of that temptation,
did you persevere
through the anger?
That's an affliction.
Have you ever
struggled with doubts
since you've become a
Christian about the
reliability of the
scriptures?
Whether Christianity
really is, as Tim
Keller said after he
became a believer, he
said, Christianity, the
resurrection of Jesus, it
is intellectually
credible and
existentially
satisfying.
Since you became a
Christian, has there
ever been a time in
your life where you
doubted that?
Where you wondered,
what am I doing?
Is this really real?
Am I foolish for
thinking this?
Can I ask you, did you
keep trusting Jesus even
when those questions
didn't receive answers?
That's affliction.
Have you ever been
hurt or abused by a
professing Christian who
even used the Bible to
justify their abuse?
And the temptation in
that moment was, how
could I possibly follow a
Savior whose disciples do
this?
Can I ask you, did your
love for Jesus persevere
through the abuse of
those who claimed to
follow him?
What about your sin?
Have you ever wondered
from, wondered away from
faithfulness in terms of
the way that you live and
you just did something
really, really stupid?
blatantly sinful?
That brought tremendous
reproach upon the name
of Christ?
Maybe it destroyed your
family or at least
threatened to.
I mean, you blew it.
Can I ask you, in the
midst of that, did you
rest in the finished work
of Christ on your behalf
despite the grief of your
own sin?
You don't have to wait
for some overwhelming
test of faith to be
assured of your
salvation.
If you are persevering in
this moment, loved
ones, that is a
testimony of God's grace
in your life.
It's not because you
figured something out that
no one else has.
It's because you're the
beneficiary of a work
of grace that cannot be
fully explained.
It's the power of the
Spirit at work.
What does all of this have
to do with election?
This saving and
persevering faith, it's not
something that we can
produce on our own.
Just like Paul, as
capable as he was, and
you only have to read
through a few of his
letters to realize he
could have come preaching
with quite a bit of
eloquence and persuasion,
and yet that's not what
he did.
He couldn't manipulate or
manufacture what was
happening in the people
in Thessalonica.
He couldn't do that.
You can't manipulate it
in yourself either.
The Scriptures describe
our natural condition
in at least three ways.
We're told that in our
natural condition we are
in bondage to sin.
We're slaves to sin, just
like Israel was slaves in
Egypt.
We're told that in
Ephesians chapter 2 that
in our natural condition
we are dead in our
trespasses and sins.
Not dying.
Not drowning.
Drowned.
Dead.
In the Corinthian letters
we're told that in our
natural condition the
natural man cannot even
really fully comprehend
the gospel in and of
themselves because it's
spiritually discerned and
they do not have the work
of the Spirit to discern it
for them.
And we're told that in our
natural condition, Romans 3,
we are unwilling, not just
unable, we're unwilling to come
to God on His terms.
That's our condition.
If we are to be saved, it
requires that someone who is
free break our bondage.
That someone who is living
bring us to life.
that someone with true
spiritual power
take our hardened hearts
and transform them to love
and worship God.
If we are to be saved,
that's what it will take.
God's election then
is a divine act of grace
whereby He accomplishes
those things
through Spirit-empowered
preaching
so that we might then
willfully
respond to the gospel
in repentance and faith
and continue
forthwith
to respond to the gospel
in repentance
and faith.
When God makes
someone His own,
He never lets them go.
Isn't that wonderful?
No matter how great
the trial,
He will hold them fast.
And the proof
will be in their
willful perseverance
of faith.
Now here's the truth.
We have an enemy
that would love nothing more
than to hinder
that perseverance.
That would love
for our discouragement
like the discouragement
of the Thessalonians
to be so severe
that we would
begin perhaps
to show signs
of falling away.
That's what He wants.
We should expect
to face
significant temptation
to abandon the faith
throughout our lives.
But the wonderful thing
about God's grace
is that it holds us
even when we don't feel
we can hold on
to Him.
Why does Paul say,
I thank God
for what's happening
in you?
Because Paul knows
that it's God
doing it.
So how can we know
that God has set
His saving love
on us?
Well,
did the wind blow
when you heard
that Jesus died
for your sin
and rose from the dead
and invited you
to receive eternal salvation
from Him
as a free gift?
You may not be able
to pinpoint
a particular moment.
And don't let that
discourage you.
If you are in the faith
today,
it's because
the wind was blowing
and it may have been
blowing for a little while
before you realized it.
Not everybody has
a dramatic
transformational moment.
Some people do
to the glory of God.
Some people do have
those Damascus Road moments
as Sarah Lynn
talked about
in her testimony
last week.
Many of us
don't have that.
The Lord does
His unique work
in everybody
in different ways
but the truth is
it always comes
through the gospel
and it always comes
in the power
of the Spirit.
Did you turn
from sin
and trust in Him
if not,
what's keeping you
from doing it now?
You can turn
to Christ
now
by faith
and you'll prove
in the process
that you do actually
indeed belong to God.
Well, the second thing is
are you persevering
in that faith?
Does it mean
that you don't
regularly face temptation
to doubt the Lord
but it does mean
that your perseverance
continues despite
all the doubt?
That's not because
you got it all together
but because God
has made you
His own.
So we thank God
and we find
encouragement
in God's saving
electing love.
Let's pray.
for better