1 Thessalonians (The One About the Love We Share)
1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13
12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,
increase= pleonazó (pleh-on-ad’-zo): to grow numerically, abound in number.
abound= perisseuó (per-is-syoo’-o): to be over and above. To exceed beyond the expected measure. To “super-abound”
13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father
1 Peter 1:15-16 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
God wants us to abound and super-abound in love. Love for Him, for one another, and for all. (Because we can’t be blameless in holiness if we aren’t abounding in love.)
Questions:
Are you abounding and super-abounding in your love for one another?
John 13:14-15
John 15:12-13
Are you abounding and super-abounding in your love for all?
Matthew 5:43-45
Are you abounding and super-abounding in your love for God?
Matthew 22:37
God wants us to abound and super-abound in love. Love for Him, for one another, and for all. (Because we can’t be blameless in holiness if we aren’t abounding in love.)
1 Thessalonians 2:1-13 (The One About The Hard Work of Ministry)
Our FAITH should result in work(s)
Our LOVE should result in labor
Our HOPE should result in perseverance
1 Thessalonians week 2 title
1 Thessalonians 2:1-16
Question: We have been entrusted with the hope of the gospel. Are we handling well what God has entrusted to us?
The hard work of ministry involves:
Painful labor
Personal sacrifice
Possible opposition
Question: Are we willing to engage in the hard work of ministry?
Question: Will we do so when it means great conflict and opposition? Are we doing so when there is very little resistance at all?
Question: Are we people who strive to be commended for our work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope?
1 Thessalonians (The One About God’s Word Taking Effect)
NOTE: This recording begins a few minutes in to the message and misses a few details about the city of Thessalonica.
Acts 17:1-15
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
charis (khar-ece): grace, kindness
eiréné (i-ray’-nay): oneness, peace, quietness, rest.
The word of God had clearly taken effect in them.
Vs. 6 Their faith was tried and true.
Vs. 7 Their faith was visible and evident.
vs. 8 Their faith was loud and resounding.
Vs. 9 Their faith was active and alive
Vs. 10 Their faith was hopeful and expectant
Question: Has the word of God (written, living and spoken) truly taken hold of us?
Question: Is our faith…
Tried and True
Visible and Evident
Loud and Resounding
Active and Alive
Hopeful and Expectant
Question: If the spiritual life of everyone in our church looked like yours, what kind of church would we be?
Things God Loves: Creation
Things God Loves: Courage
cour·age | \ ˈkər-ij , ˈkə-rij \
Definition of courage: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty
[Churchill quote]
Mark 5: 24b – 34 ESV
[Radmacher quote]
Courage is reaching out
Courage is trusting God will meet you where you’re at
[Mandela quote]
Courage is doing what’s right, no matter what
Courage is knowing whose you are
Brian & Katie Torwalt Lyrics
I found You in the middle of my mess
You had been there all along
Open arms and open heart, You called me in
You didn’t hesitate at all
And the lies I once believed, they crumble
With the weight of Your truth
And the fear that gripped my heart, is arrested
So that I can see You
And fear can go to hell
Shame can go there too
I know whose I am
God, I belong to You
Things God Loves: Worship
The OT Hebrew word for worship is shachah (shaw-khaw’): to bow down.
Genesis 24:26-27
Genesis 24:52
The NT Greek word for worship is proskuneó (pros-koo-neh’-o): to do reverence to
“Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can’t contain Him. Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?” ~Francis Chan
God deserves our worship.
God doesn’t need our worship.
Job 41:11
Psalm 50:10-12
Psalm 89:11
Acts 17:24-25
God doesn’t need our worship. (But He wants it anyway!)
John 4:23
When we bow ourselves in worship, He knows our hearts belong to him.
“Worship is an act of war against the enemy of our hearts.” ~Holly Gerth
Worship is Powerful
Acts 16:25-26
“Worship is more than singing. It’s more than just lyrics to a song. Worship is standing in the presence of God and declaring praises to His name.” ~Unknown
Things God Loves: Kids
Mark 10:13–16 NLT
Jesus got angry when kids got left out.
Jesus will always be there for us, no matter what.
Things God Loves: Impartiality
Things God Loves: Justice
ENG Justice A) having a basis in or conforming to fact or reason : reasonable B) conforming to a standard of correctness.
Psalm 10:17-18
God hears the cry of injustice, and responds.
Micah 6:8
Matthew 23:23-24
God wants His people to avoid injustice.
Leviticus 19:15
Isaiah 1:16-17
God wants His people to fight against injustice.
Proverbs 31:8-9
Amos 5: 21-24
Psalm 82:3-4
Video Interview (David Zach from Remedy Drive)
Isaiah 25:4