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| VICTORIOUS IN THE WORD 1 THESSALONIANS 2:13-16 Series: Victorious - Part Three Pastor Stephen Muncherian May 29, 2011 |
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This morning we are going on in our look at 1 Thessalonians and living victoriously as Christians. Not just managing to some how get by hanging in there as we go through life but actually experiencing the victorious life that God makes available to us in Jesus.
We began by looking at being victorious in salvation - that is that source of the victorious life is God. That it is essential that we have received His offer of salvation in Jesus and give Him our lives.
Last Sunday we looked at being victorious in mission. As we grow in passion for God we become more passionate about people - a passion that leads us to obediently follow God’s will for our lives - living to share His gospel with others - and in the process experiencing God’s joy as only God can give it..
This morning we want to look at living Victorious In The Word.
To help us get started with that we have short video clip. How many of you have seen the movie “The Hiding Place”? The movie is about what? World War II - Nazi occupied Holland - Corrie Ten Boom and her family - who are Christians - are hiding Jews. They get arrested. They’re thrown in prison - where a number of them die - horribly.
This scene takes place just after they’re arrested - just as they’re being thrown into prison.
(DVD: The Hiding Place - 1:09:14 - 1:11:32)
That’s humbling isn’t it? Deplorable - frightening conditions. Soap - aspirin - cigarettes - anything you want as long as you can pay. “Can you get me a Bible?” How many of us - without having to pause to think about it - how many of us would ask for a Bible?
In 1990, Robert Seiple, at that time the president of World Vision, writing in World Vision Magazine, wrote this personal account. "In 1915, a Russian Armenian was reading his Bible when he was beheaded. I saw the Bible - large, thick and well used. Inside was a reddish stain that permeated most of the book." (1)
Last act - knowing the ax is coming - last act - reading God’s word.
How important is God’s word?
Look with me at 1 Thessalonians 2 - we’re going to begin at verse 13. If you need one there should be a Bible someplace under a chair in front of you. There are also message notes in your bulletin that will be helpful to you.
Paul is writing to the believers in Thessalonica - which was where? Northern Greece - up in Macedonia.
1 Thessalonians 2 - let’s read verse 13 out loud together: For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
There are three responses in this verse that describe the importance of God’s word to the Thessalonians. Three responses that are helpful for us as we’re desiring to live victorious in God’s word.
First, they Received God’s Word. Let’s repeat that together. “They received God’s word.” They recognized that what they were hearing was God’s word.
Martin Gross in his book "The End of Sanity” writes this description of our society: “Blatantly irrational behavior is rapidly being established as the norm in almost every area of human endeavor. There seem to be new customs, new rules, new anti-intellectual theories regularly foisted on us from every direction. Underneath, the nation is roiling. Americans know something without a name is undermining the nation, turning the mind mushy when it comes to separating truth from falsehood and right from wrong.” (2)
Maybe you’ve heard this description? Imagine if our society were an umpire in a baseball game. Have you heard this? Back before World War II - a baseball umpire would say, “There’s balls and there’s strikes, and I call them as they are.” There’s absolute truth.
A few years back there was shift in our society - an umpire would say, “There’s balls and there’s strikes, and I call them as I see them.” Truth is found in one’s own experience - “As I see it.”
Today an umpire would say, “There’s balls and there’s strikes, and they’re nothing until I call them.” Today were not even sure there’s a strike zone - or a home plate - or anything else for that matter.
The only absolute truth is that there are no absolute truths. I hope the logic of that sounds a tad fuzzy to you. There is no absolute truth including this one.
That’s where our society is today. No truth exists unless we create it. 60% of all adults in America today believe that, "nothing can be known for certain except the things you experience in your own life." (3)
George Barna - the researcher - George Barna found this: Today upwards of 66% of adults do not believe that moral truth is absolute and unaffected by circumstances. Grab this: upwards of 54% - over half of born again adults - do not believe in absolute moral truth. (4) When we’re talking about the next generation - that percentage goes up to a whopping 91% of born again teenagers who do not believe in absolute moral truth. (5)
Everything is relative: morality - law - customs - religion. Its all what we individually create it to be. There’s no God but man and who we each individually create God to be.
Its no wonder our society is so messed up. Mankind is living in his own delusional world. And the church is running a close second.
The Greeks were great on philosophy - man’s enlightened perspective on things. The Thessalonians were saturated by it. When Paul and company came to Thessalonica teaching from the Old Testament prophets and about Jesus the Christ - Jesus crucified and risen - teaching what was to become recognized as Scripture - the New Testament - the Thessalonians heard something different.
When Paul began to teach and share with them - as he spoke to them they were conscious that what they were hearing was far more than just the words of Paul - the words of another of man’s ideas about life. They recognized that what they were hearing wasn’t coming from men - human philosophy and reason. They recognized that what they were hearing was the word of God - and they received it - as coming from God through Paul.
The implications of that are astounding. That God exists is probable. That God speaks - actually communicates with His creation is an interesting idea. But that God inspires prophets - speaking through them to His people. That’s pushing it. God coming - taking on what it means to be human - living among us - dying for us - living again - inspiring disciples to write his very words for us to live by. That pushes the boundaries of the box. Doesn’t it?
The Evangelical Free Church - in our statement of faith adopted in 2008 - article two says this - let’s read this out loud together: We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
Think with me about what it is that we’re saying we believe. We believe that God has revealed Himself to us - in what He’s created. And more specifically in Jesus Christ the Living Word and through Scripture, the written word of the Old and New Testaments (Psalm 19:7-20; John 1:1-18; 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:15,16).
We believe that the writing of Scripture resulted from a cooperative activity God and human authors. God exerted enough influence in them - yet without controlling them completely - so as to guarantee that every word in the entirety of the original manuscripts - not later copies or translations - but every word in the original manuscripts as they were written rendered the thoughts of God free from error in what they affirm and teach. (2 Timothy 3:15,16; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
The theological term for all that is verbal plenary inspiration. God inspired every word.
The source of God’s Word is... God. God is the source. Let’s say that together, “God is the source.”
We could sit here for hours talking about God’s word - looking together at reason after reason - proof after proof - of how we know that God’s word is God’s word. But, the bottom line is that at some point - just as the Thessalonians did - we need to receive God’s word.
Second - the Thessalonians Accepted God’s Word. Let’s say that together, “They accepted God’s word.” Received - reception is external - intellectual. Acceptance is internal - at the heart level. They wholeheartedly welcomed God’s word into their lives.
Have you ever looked at the City of Merced website? These are all pictures from the website. There’s a lot of people today - even Christians - who see themselves the way Merced’s website describes the city.
Listen to just a little of what it says. “Merced is a dynamic community of about80,542 people, with friendly small town living in a mid-size city. The University of California Merced campus, opened in 2005, provides new educational and economic opportunity, adding to the already-established growth of the region. Merced’s population is youthful and diverse.”
I like that don’t you? We are youthful and diverse. Share that with the person next to you. “You are youthful and diverse.”
What you won’t find there is a paragraph that talks about foreclosures - homelessness - unemployment - teenage pregnancy - illegal drugs - high school drop outs - stats that we lead the nation in or are almost leading the nation in. There’s no paragraph describing immorality and misery and hopelessness.
Instead there’s lots of information about being the region’s hub for education, culture, and business. Our revitalized downtown.
Don’t get me wrong - with all the hard stuff here there’s also a lot of good stuff here as well. Are we together on that?
Here’s the point: God’s word speaks the truth about what is really going on in our hearts. Outwardly we may be the most beautifully moral and upright person - for years a devoted - faithful attendee and supporter of the church. But, inwardly we can live in sin and fear and guilt and heartache.
Maybe some of you are feeling that dichotomy this morning. What’s inside isn’t looking as victorious as what’s outside.
We believe that God - Who is truth - in Scripture God reveals what is truth. God is the source. And God’s word is without error - totally reliable - the one all sufficient unfailing authority on everything that has to do with faith and how to do life.
That’s what the EFCA Statement of Faith means when it says that God’s word is “the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.”
The Bible is to have authority over our lives, not just when it seems reasonable or convenient or fits our framework of understanding and experience. God's word should be so deeply embedded within us that our natural reaction will be to live in obedience to it as an integral part of our nature.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword , and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The word of God cuts - cuts to the deepest part of who we are. It exposes our sin and demands change.
Like salt poured into an open wound, that hurts. It offends our pride and intellect. But its necessary for healing - for wholeness - for victorious living.
It would be so easy to get up on Sunday morning - get dressed - drive to church - and bypass the Service of Worship - going straight to the coffee and Lipton tea - grab some goodies and just hang out together. In fact - just skip church all together and head over to Paul’s. We could avoid going to Bible study or avoid spending time personally reading and studying God’s word. Maybe that’s easier.
When we come inside - when we come together before God we experience God’s presence - we hear God’s word - and if we’re honest with ourselves - we need to change. We all need to change. And change is hard.
2 Timothy 3:16 and 17 tell us that the word of God is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man - or woman - of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” That’s victory in life.
To accept God’s word means that we accept that God’s word is to have authority over our lives. God’s word has implications for our lives. We need to welcome its examination of our hearts. Hard? Yes. But, that leads to the victorious life.
Third - the Thessalonians Believed God’s Word. Let’s say that together, “They believed God’s word.”
Most of us are familiar with the story of “The Mutiny on the Bounty.” Right? In the 19th century - mutineers took over the ship - what? HMS Bounty. Set their captain - Captain Bligh - who was arguably certifiable: “Mr. Christian. You’ve stolen my coconuts.” Set Captain Bligh and 19 others adrift in a lifeboat - and ended up finally on Pitcairn Island - in the South Pacific.
We don’t often hear much about what happened to them after they landed.
For the most part, these mutineers were rough - tough - godless sailors. Together with the wives they brought with them from Tahiti, they spent their days on Pitcairn drinking - gambling - swapping wives - fighting with each other. All that led to murders and suicides - really nasty stuff.
In 1808 when the island was rediscovered by the American ship Topaz - living on the island were the descendants of the mutineers and only one lone surviving mutineer - John Adams. This man.
John Adams - when he left England aboard the Bounty - had been known as “Reckless Jack.” He was a thief - a criminal - who had learned to survive on the streets of London. Adams was one of the most active mutineers - part of the group that seized Captain Bligh.
But on Pitcairn Island - rummaging through his trunk one day - John Adams found a Bible that his mother had put there. He began to read it and came to Christ - trusting Jesus as his Savior. Ned Young - another mutineer - reading the Bible came to Christ. Their lives were changed forever.
Adams and Young used the ship’s Bible to teach the children to read - to educate the women and children. Through their study of the Bible the Pitcainers came to Christ. When Ned Young died Adams went on teaching God’s word.
When Pitcairn island as rediscovered in 1808 John Adams was known to be kindly, wise, deeply religious - the moral leader of the islanders. On Pitcairn - because John Adams began to teach God’s word to others - there was no jail because they had no crime. They loved God and they loved each other. God’s word had totally changed their lives and their society.
Look with me at verse 14. Notice how Paul describes the change produced by God’s word - the change in the Thessalonian believers. Verse 14: “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea - you began to act and live like children of God - like the church of Jesus Christ.
What did that look like? Going on - verse 14 - for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.”
In Judea - the Jews persecuted the Jews who had come to Christ. In Thessalonica - the Gentiles persecuted the Gentiles who had come to Christ. Paul says, these persecutors are displeasing to God - piling up their sins and God’s wrath against them. But, Thessalonians - regardless of the circumstances of your lives - which are hard - very hard - because you’ve received - accepted - and believed God’s word - you are victorious. That believing is evident in the victorious life you’re living.
To be a Christian in today’s confused society is becoming increasingly more difficult. And, we could share example after example of that. But, Creekside Church - Christians of the greater Merced metroplex - when we receive and accept and believe God’s word - as His word begins to change us - we live pleasing to God - not in His wrath - but we live in His strength and power and wisdom and victory.
To receive is external - intellectual. This is God’s word. God is the source. To accept is internal - at the heart level. God’s word has implications for my life. To believe requires action - commitment - obedience. To put into practice what we receive and accept.
There are some serious implications in all that. If we really receive the Bible as being God’s word and accept that it has authority over our lives that leaves us with two rational responses.
First: To Listen. Let’s say that together. “To listen.”
Maybe this has happened to you. I was driving Nick and someone else home from guy’s discipleship. Nick’s in the front seat. This other guy - I won’t say who - this other guy is in the back seat. And he - they guy in the back seat - says something. I don’t remember what it was. It could have been something about the way I was driving. And I answer him. Then I realize he’s talking on his phone. A totally different conversation.
Have you had that happen? I felt like a dweeb.
Or you’re talking to someone and the whole time you’re talking they’re texting someone else. Somehow that’s acceptable. I don’t multitask like that. I can barely stay focused on one conversation at a time. Texting and talking is out there somewhere.
With God’s word there is no multitasking. Either were listening to God or we’re allowing something else to distract us from Him.
We have this choice to make. Who will we listen to? In the fuzzy thinking no absolute truth society we live in are a ton of philosophies and ideas. Even some of our own. Or, will we listen to the absolute truth of God’s word.
The second response is To Obey. Let’s repeat that together. “To Obey.”
Abraham believed God. As a demonstration of Abraham’s faith He obeyed God’s word. He took Isaac up on the mountain to present his son as a living sacrifice.
James writes that “faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26). Faith if it doesn’t produce something in our lives - we can talk all we want about what we believe - but without something tangible coming from our faith - our faith dead. Faith that produces fruit is animate - living - vital - victorious.
If we say that we receive and accept God’s word then we must choose to allow God’s word to bring change in our lives. That means when God ‘s word shows us something about ourselves that needs to change - we purpose to change. Maybe that’s expressed in a simple prayer. “God change this in me.”
Years ago I made a choice to be intentional about reading the Bible. When I made that choice I began with trying to read a chapter a week. Took me about 3 years to read through the Bible. Right now I’m reading through the Bible at about once per year.
I’m not saying that to brag like “Look how spiritual I am.” But to share that God is doing something in me. My desire to read daily and to read more of God’s word. That desire is growing. The more I read His word the more I desire His word and the more I see God using His word to change me. His word is getting into me and rattling around and doing something - good things. Changing my attitudes and perspectives and actions.
I don’t fully understand that. Theologically. Doctrinally. I can’t put all that into words. But I see it happening.
Kevin DeYoung - pastor, speaker, author - Kevin DeYoung writes this - great quote: “The real work is the work we can’t control, the work only God can do. For real heart change, conversion, sanctification, and everything else that matters for eternity, we rely explicitly and wholly on the Word of God and prayer. This is what God promises to bless and promises to use to build up His people: The Word...and the prayers of His people to unleash the Spirit’s power.” (6)
That is so huge. So bottom line of being a Christian. We need to trust the Word of God to do the work of God. Let’s repeat that together. “We need to trust the Word of God to do the work of God.”
Our victory in life will always be restrained by our own efforts. But - if we intentionally choose to saturate ourselves with God’s word - and surrender to God whatever in our lives is not in conformity to His word - God does the work. God produces the fruit. God brings the victory.
How that happens is a mystery. It’s a God thing. But it begins with a choice to put into practice what we receive and accept.
God’s
word is life - victorious
life. That’s why people
cling to it - in
prisons - in death.
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