Untitled Sermon (23)

Joshua 24:14–15 (NASB95) — 14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua is speaking to the Sons of Israel. He references the gods whom their fathers had worshipped from across the river. The river in this case Joshua is speaking of is the Jorden from which they crossed into the Land. The first generation came out of Egypt, but Egypt did not come out of them. Lest we forget the golden calf incident.

Abraham had also crossed a river to enter into the land from where he himself in Ur of Chaldeans worshipped other gods and served in a pagan religion.

You and I also have crossed over and across the river from which on the other side of our baptism was a life that was connected to this pagan world and the idolatry in it. and God has given us time to lay aside our idols, to repent and serve the one true living God.

Man has been afforded the grace opportunity of time to hear the gospel and respond to it and believe. Repenting from their evil ways and choosing to follow and to serve the one true living God.

The one who then has crossed over into the life in Christ has also been afforded time and greater grace to set aside the idols in one’s heart and to advance in the spiritual life to all the fullness of Christ.

Paul’s heart’s ambition, motivated by his love for Christ is to do the work set before him, serving as an instrument in the Lord’s hands in the edification of the body of Christ.

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it as we come and worship together in His word as we are the body of Christ.

Opening Hymn; Praise Him, Praise him

Opening prayer

Chapter 1 of the second letter to the Thessalonians is the reminding the believers of the Judgment that is coming that the Lord is coming, and the Lord is bringing retribution against the enemies of God and reward to those who are faithful.

It is a message that is wrapped around in time. Reminding the saints of the window which is opened to them. For those who are with Christ an opportunity to repent. For those who are in Christ in opportunity to reach all the fulness in Christ. when the window of opportunity closes there will be retribution and vindication.

What is this life about?

What is your purpose?

To Glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

2 Thessalonians 1:10 (NASB95) — 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.

on that day Refers to the Day of the Lord (or the day of Yahweh; see 1 Thess 5:2 and note). In the ot, it is the day in which Yahweh grants His people salvation and punishes His enemies with everlasting destruction (e.g., Isa 11:10–11; Joel 2:1–12, 31–32)..[1]

ON that day marks a future event that is coming. It is a day reckoning for God’s enemies where they will be made a footstool for the feet of our Lord, and it will be the day when those who stood for the Lord through all the trials and tribulations will be vindicated for their faiths.

Where do you stand thus far in your relationship with the Lord?

In examining yourself, will be counted worthy of your calling? In you would the Lord find a faithful servant? Or will he find one who cast his or her spiritual life aside finding no value at all as they had spent their lives pursing the things of this world over and above the things of God.

for our testimony to you was believed.[2]

33.262 μαρτυρέω; to provide information about a person or an event concerning which the speaker has direct knowledge—‘to witness.’[3]

and where there was a witness there was a response to that witness by those who come to know the Christ through the lives that had direct access to Him.

31.85 πιστεύωb; to believe to the extent of complete trust and reliance—‘to believe in, to have confidence in, to have faith in, to trust, faith, trust.’

It is the witness of another than brings us out of this world and to purse all the fulness of the risen savior.

Jesus was not a fictitious Character that the Christian’s had come up with like those in other religions who worship vein idols and gods. Jesus was a historical figure. History as well has historical figures who lived and walked upon this earth testifies to the existence and the message of this person. To those things written about Jesus, especially in the gospels was about a real person whom the writers of scriptures were acquainted with. They saw the son of Man, Jesus. They walked with Him, ate with Him, followed him, and were with Him after his resurrection until he ascended into heaven.

After which the early Church Father’s such as Polycarp who was discipled under John, writes and attests that there was the disciple of Jesus John who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus the resurrection of Jesus and the ascension of Jesus.

1 John 1:1–4 (NASB95) — 1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

Paul was one who was one who came later. And did not know Jesus as the other 11, but none the less Paul had his encounter with this Jesus on the Damascus Road when he was knocked off his horse, blinded and spoken to directly by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Those whom Paul is writing to not only believed the witness but responded to the fact that these are the representatives of the true and living Christ. Their response was to live, abide in, grow to all the fullness of, and if necessary, die for Christ on the basis of the witness that they had received from Christ.

Question: is the message coming from your pulpits testifying to the living Christ?

Is what you hearing coming from your pulpits bringing your hearts to follow Christ because of the testimony?

Are you following a spirit led Pastor who has his own witness to the Living Christ or are you following some religious leader with some different agenda than to see to that the body of Christ is equipped to follow Jesus?

How bout you? Is your life so equipped that there is a witness that you have, that in your growth, others are able to see the Christ in you and respond to that witness?

Christ is coming.

He is coming to pray retribution to his enemies.

He is also coming and will receive the church to himself. Will you be found by him as one of his faithful who brought glory to the Lord or one whose life may have brought shame to His holy name?

2 Thessalonians 1:11 (NASB95) — 11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power,

To be counted worthy

Aorist active subjunctive[4]

65.18 ἀξιόωa; to consider something of a comparable merit or worth—‘to regard as worthy of, to consider as meriting, to regard as being valuable for.’[5]

The Lord not only saved you, but he has given you every asset to live a life that is worthy of your calling which he has called you before the foundations of this earth and predestined you. God has the highest and the best for each of us. There are no ordinary Christians.

The gifts that has be bestowed by the holy Spirit is for the building up of the body of Christ.

Romans 11:29 (NASB95) — 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Ephesians 1:3 (NASB95) — 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Being counted as worthy is the one who took advantage of the advantages given by God in order to use his and her life to bring glory to God.

this is another intention or potential possibility that your life will be brought to the place of maximum glorification of Christ.

as a result

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2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 (NASB95) — 11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul recognizes himself as the servant of the Lord. That he is an instrument used by God to accomplish the will of God. That will is stated in the first Letter to the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NASB95) — 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification;

And in the circular letter sent to Ephesus

Ephesians 5:26 (NASB95) — 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

This is not primarily because of Paul’s affection for the saints or even you and I of this day. Paul’s heart is that God may be glorified. Paul’s purpose is not his undying love you the saints though he has their best interest in mind but the glory of God which will be seen in the saints with he is building up of the body of Christ.

Spiritual Maturity brings on the motivation to live from day to day in the light of glorifying God in the body. We begin to see less of ourselves as sit aside our personal worldly ambition to recognize that our lives are to bring glory to God. Paul recognizes his soul ambition to equip the saints to this purpose.

Ephesians 4:11–16 (NASB95) — 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

IN this regard we are doing kingdom work. Not in the light or effort to whitewash the devil’s world, but to nurture growth within the body of Christ. To be a worthy and true witness to others as to help bring others on board to the mission of glorifying Christ.

We do so in witness as we prioritize our lives around Christ.

We do so in our service to others. Building up (edifying the body of Christ)

We do so in our prayers, keeping attentive to one another in our intercession as Christ intercedes for each of us.

Paul’s prayer for the saints

Ephesians 1:18–23 (NASB95) — 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Paul’s affection of the saints is not for the sake of the saints but of his motivational love for the Lord who loves the body and who had died for the saints.

We can understand this when we visit Paul’s conversion on the Damascus road.

Acts 9:3–5 (NASB95) — 3 As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

As the Saul of Tarsus was motivated to kill the followers of the way, (Followers of Christ) hating them for what he taught was a service to God, is the same man as Paul who is motivated by Love for God to build up the body to the glory of the Lord.

Let it be that our ambition that is motivated by our Love for the Lord and his desire to bring others by our walk with him to see our own testimony and to win others to the Lord.

Closing Hymn; Praise Him Praise Him

Closing prayer.

[1]Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (2 Th 1:10). Lexham Press. [2] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update (2 Th 1:10). (1995). The Lockman Foundation. [3]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 417). United Bible Societies. [4] In contrast to the Indicative, the subjunctive mood is used by an author to express the probability/potentiality of an event. [5]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 621). United Bible Societies.

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