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Light Of His Word The Sermons of Pastor Mike Walls Freedom Baptist Church Used By Permission Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. |
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Light Of His Word The Sermons of Pastor Mike Walls Freedom Baptist Church Used By Permission Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. |
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TREMENDOUS TRUTHS FROM THE BOOK OF
1ST THESSALONIANS Message # 3 1st
Thessalonians 2:1-20 Introduction:
I want to give a quick review of the last message. We saw that ideal
servant was like a loving brother. He reminds them of the adversary
that we have- Satan. Satan is at war with us and since he cannot
see us go to hell, he wants us to be miserable. He is the first
that you say was miserable and misery loves company. He will work
through our own countrymen to cause us to suffer. As I said last
time, we don’t have the reality of real suffering facing us yet but we
may. In the present political climate, it is a real possibility
to do us. I quick gave three thoughts about suffering that I feel
must be said again. It is possible that we will suffer for
our Lord. It is important to remember a few thoughts in regards
to this. 1. Jesus
said we would suffer. John 15:20 “Remember
the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord.
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have
kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” We know that He was persecuted. They were willing to put Him
to death. It does not take a big stretch of imagination that it
could happen to us too. This is especially true in the present political
climate. 2. The
time when it comes to really suffer, He will give grace for that day. “And
he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses
for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 3. The
Lord will never leave nor forsake us. “Let
your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things
as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear
what man shall do unto me.” Let’s finish this chapter up on a high note. IV. AN
IDEAL SERVANT IS LIKE A LOVING BROTHER. (continued) “For
what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our
glory and joy.” The next event on the Lord’s calendar is the rapture. Jesus
is coming soon. That will be a blessing to us. We will rejoice
that day. His coming is the central theme of the book. Each
chapter ends with this theme. In fact, this Bible ends this way. Jesus gives His final promise
in Revelation 22:21. “Surely I come quickly…Even so, come, Lord
Jesus.” Here we have the last living apostle, writing in the last book of
the Bible. In the last chapter and next to the last verse he records
for us the last promise and last prayer in the Holy Word. The
promise comes from the lips of our Lord, and the prayer proceeds from
the mouth of John the Beloved. The Second Coming of our Lord is at the very heart of the Christian
faith. Apart from His return, His redemptive work remains forever
incomplete. His coming again is the only hope for the future of
the world. Of all the coming events prophesied, His return will
be the most remarkable. Is it any wonder all creation is groaning
for this culminating event? The expectation of the early Church was not death, nor even the hope
of Heaven, but rather in His parting words, “I will come again”
and, “I will see you again.” This is what filled their
hearts and minds! They believed he would come again, literally,
personally, physically, and visibly. Two millenniums ago, on the Isle of Patmos, this is what Jesus promised
and old John prayed for. The challenge of this hour is thus: when
was the last time you or I prayed for His coming? It goes without
saying, if one is not longing and looking for His coming, it’s certain
he or she is not praying for it. And if one is not praying for it, be
assured, either their theology is wrong, their heart, or both! Paul says something in this passage that is a little different.
He mentions a crown of rejoicing. There are five crowns mentioned
in the scriptures that as Christians we could win for Christ.
This is not a contest. It is not a race per se. It has one
major element besides the element of being saved. Its element
is found in 1st Corinthians chapter four. I want us
to look at that passage. 1st
Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover
it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” If you are not faithful to Christ, don’t expect any crowns to place
at Christ’s feet. Faithfulness is the path to the blessings of
God. Faithfulness is the means in which you can have the joy of
the Lord even when things are bad and they will be. Let’s look at the crowns quickly. 1. The
Crown of Temperance 1st Corinthians 9:25 “And
every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” This is the Striving Crown. We will get this by staying with
the work that God has called us. It is called the incorruptible
crown. There are times when we are seeing the working of God
but we continue on anyway. Many people may not ever remember
us but God has not forgotten. We must beware of boasting in
our own abilities. Without the Lord, we have no abilities in
the first place. But boasting in ourselves in nothing less than
sinful pride. God hates pride. Proverbs
27:2 “Let
another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and
not thine own lips.” It is far better if a man or woman praises us without flattery too.
But beware of praise too. It can go to your head. After
all, it is not us who is doing the work but the Lord through us. I
am simply the glove on God’s hand. 2. The
Crown of Testimony 2nd Timothy 4:6-8 “For
I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and
not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” This
is the Second Coming Crown. It is called the crown of righteousness.
There are several thoughts in regards to this crown. We testify
our Lord and how we are looking forward to the coming our Lord. We
should tell every one that this could be the day in which Jesus comes
for His own. 3. The
Crown of Trials James 1:12 “Blessed
is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall
receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that
love him.” Revela “Fear
none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall
cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have
tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee
a crown of life.” This is the Steadfastness Crown. It is called in the scriptures
the crown of life. It is a life that is hid in Christ that endures
trials faithfully. Trials are not to make us bitter but bitter.
That is one of those truths that easier preached than lived.
This is a not necessarily everyday event. Getting bills in the
mail where you have more month than money is not a trial. Having
problems at work with a coworker over something trivial is a trial.
Fussing with your spouse is not a trial. The trials that win
you this crown are the trials over your faith. Will this event
cause you and I to try to or away from Jesus? That is a trial
of your faith. Faithfulness to Jesus is the key to winning this
crown. “The
elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness
of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that
shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking
the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy
lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage,
but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” This is the Shepherd’s Crown. It is the crown of glory.
In order to win this crown, you must be faithful in teaching and training
others. Yes, this is basically a crown for a pastor but in many
ways you are supposed to teach and train others also. When you
take folks on soul winning visitation with you and showing them how
to win souls to Christ, then you are teaching and training them. 5. The
Crown of Treasure 1st Thessalonians 2:19 “For
what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” This is the Soul Winner's Crown. This is the crown of rejoicing.
You can rejoice in the folks you have won to Christ and see them grow.
That is the best part of it all after they get saved is see growth
in their lives. Conclusion:
There are some problems that arise from getting crowns. I want to
address this from Revelation chapter three. Let’s turn to that passage. “Behold,
I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and
are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before
thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the
word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man
take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple
of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the
name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem,
which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him
my new name.” There are some forces that contending together to steal and destroy
the crown before it is place upon you by your Saviour. Success can make us so anxious to continue to succeed that we become
so careful and calculating that we stop living by faith, stop walking
by the Spirit, stop listening to His voice. Failure is the other extreme takes us all the way down and dares
us to presume that we could ever be worthy of wearing a crown from the
Lord. Discouragement can be seen in people all around you can overwhelm
you with discouraging words, critical comments, unrealistic demands and
expectations and successfully make off with your crown. Entanglements is when we get so caught up in the mad rush to be everything
to everyone, to do everything before anyone else does it, to prove our
significance by making ourselves indispensable to everyone, we allow even
good things to threaten the precarious perch of the crown balanced upon
our head. Trouble is coming although we cannot control when and how trouble
will come into our lives, we can see it as a welcome ally in the battle
to hold fast to our crown. We should be look forward to Christ's return. After all that the
believers in Philadelphia had been through, Jesus' words of encouragement
came through loud and clear as words of deliverance. Revelation
3:11 “Behold,
I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” Jesus is coming again to deliver us, to assure us that regardless
of what happens in this world, He is still able to save, to preserve and
to protect His own. To that end, He makes three promises that offer wonderful
hope to hurting believers...in that day as well as now. 1. I
will vindicate you before your enemies. “Behold,
I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and
are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before
thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” Jesus will prove the depth of His love for each of us when He returns
by welcoming us gladly into His presence and making even His enemies bow
down! 2. I
will keep you from the hour of testing. “Because
thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the
hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that
dwell upon the earth.” Jesus seems to indicate here as elsewhere that before the world is
severely tested that He would keep them from that awful terror by taking
them away first. This removal of believers from the earth before the time
of tribulation is often called the Rapture. 3. I
will crown you with glory in my presence. “Him
that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall
go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the
name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down
out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” The ultimate promise He gives them is that He will bring them into
His presence where they could experience the crowning glory of His presence
forever! The temporary struggles and momentary afflictions, He assures
them, will be worth it all when they come into His presence...nothing
else will matter ever again! Christ calls upon all of us to be careful so that we are not too
quick to give up our crowns without a struggle, to trade them for other
momentary pleasures, or to throw them away because we have lost touch
with their value to our Saviour. Problems may arise but Jesus is coming soon. It may be today.
Part 6
THE IDEAL SERVANT
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