Sermon Tone Analysis

Accepting the Word of God

July 5, 2009

1 Thessalonians 2:9-16

 

Mark 14, verses 49 and 50 tell us: /“But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”

Then they all deserted Him and ran away/

And Henry Blackaby adds, There are times when, in the darkest moments of your life, the only comfort left for you is a word from God. Jesus faced the cruel injustice of a hostile world, but perhaps His deepest pain came when His closest friends deserted and betrayed Him.

What could possibly sustain Him at such a dark moment?

Jesus found His comfort in the Scriptures (Matt.

26:20–25, 31).

The Scriptures kept everything in perspective for the Savior, holding Him steadfast in the knowledge that everything He was experiencing was according to His Father's plan.

Jesus could proceed with confidence because the Scriptures assured Him that the Father was in control.

Remember when Jesus was tempted by Satan.

What did He do to combat Satan’s temptations?

(Matt 4:1-11).

He depended on Scripture.

The word of God will guide you in the same way.

There will be times when events around you will confuse you.

Those in whom you've placed your trust will fail you.

Others will abandon you.

You will be misunderstood and criticized.

In these times of distress, when your devotion and obedience are put to the greatest test, you must let Scripture guide and comfort you.

Never let the faithlessness of others determine what you do.

Turn to the Scriptures and allow them to reorient you to God and His activity.

Even as a young boy, Jesus was already well acquainted with the Scriptures.

He was never surprised by events; He lived with confidence because the Scriptures had prepared Him for everything that He would face.

If you will immerse yourself daily in the word of God, you will not be caught off guard when crises come.

Your focus will already be on God, and He will safely guide you through your difficult moments.

Today’s message is about just what Blackaby said – the Word of God.

Please turn in your Bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, and we’ll read verses 9 through 13, and while you’re turning, listen to this: The new minister came to his office the first morning of his new assignment.

He found three envelopes on his desk from the previous pastor.

The first was marked, "Open if you run into trouble.

On the second was the note, "Open if you run into bad trouble."

The third: "Open if the trouble is disastrous.

There was no need to open any envelope for quite some time.

But the honeymoon finally ended and the time came when he found he was having difficulty.

It was enough to make him remember the envelopes which he had put away in a drawer.

He opened the first envelope and found the suggestion: "Blame your prede­cessor."

He took the advice and it seemed to work-at least for a while.

Things went along fine for quite some time and then trouble, more serious this time, struck.

It was time for the second envelope — which he quickly opened.

*This *time he read, "Blame the denomination."

Again he found relief.

He was grateful for the letters.

A few years later, the trouble was really bad.

Once more, he resorted to the helpful words of his predecessor.

The message in the third envelope read, "Prepare three envelopes."

I think this fellow would have been better off turning to the “manual”.

Let’s look at it together now.

/ For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.

For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

And 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 what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea.

/

My emphasis, will be on the practical: How?

How do you receive the Bible as the word of God?

My key text is 1 Thessalonians 2:13, /"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."/

From all the things we could talk about here, I want to focus on the words /"you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God."/

I would make three observations about this. 1) The apostolic word is the word of God. 2) When we read it or hear we should accept it as truth.

3) The way to do that is to embrace it as precious, pleasant, and practical, which means, put it into  practice: memorize it, meditate on it, make music with it, minister with it, and mind it.5

– m’s – memorize it, meditate on it, make music with it, minister with it, mind it

Now let’s look at each of my three observations more closely: first, the apostolic word is the Word of God.  Paul says in verse 13, /"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."/ Paul claims that his teaching is the Word of God.

It is apostolic teaching  - from an apostle.

That is what it meant for Jesus to choose and appoint apostles.

The words of an apostle, when he teaches or writes as one of Jesus’ apostles, is the Word of God.

The definition of the word "apostle" is one who is sent to represent another person with authority.

Jesus said to the apostles in John 16:13, /"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."/

Jesus made plans that would ensure that the truth of the apostolic teaching about Himself in the early church would carry on.

And that is what came to be written down in our New Testament.

The way this worked itself out in Paul’s experience is described in 1 Corinthians 2:13, where Paul says, "/And we impart this [wisdom] in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual."

/  “/spiritual truths to those who are spiritual."

/The Bible is often called God’s love letter to us, He children.

Paul’s teaching was in fact the word of God.

It had divine truthfulness and divine authority.

In 2 Corinthians Paul refers to this God-given authority that the Lord had given him as an apostle. 2 Corinthians 10:8, /"For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed"/

We can see this divine authority in action when Paul writes to the Corinthians about people who were claiming to have revelatory experiences.

He puts his authority over theirs and says that his teaching is the measuring rod.

"/If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.

If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized/ (1 Corinthians 14:37-38).

Peter confirms this divine authority that Paul had as an apostle by putting Paul’s writings in the same category as the Old Testament.

You recall that 2 Timothy 3:16 says, /"All Scripture is inspired by God."/ Then Peter says in 2 Peter 3:15-16, /"Our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.

/" Peter says Paul’s letters are God’s inspired and authoritative scriptures.

Consider this summary statement from the old Keach’s Catechism: “The Bible evidences itself to be God's Word by the heavenliness of its doctrine, the unity of its parts, its power to convert sinners and to edify saints; but the Spirit of God only, bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in our hearts, is able fully to persuade us that the Bible is the Word of God.”

There are many kinds of arguments for embracing the scriptures as God’s word.

But this morning my point is to simply show that the Bible teaches that the apostolic word is the word of God.

When the Word of God Comes to Us by hearing or reading, We Should accept It.

Again 1 Thessalonians 2:13, "/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."/

The words for "received" and "accepted" are not the same.

They "received" the word of God means that it came to them.

It was handed on to them like a tradition.

It would have been the word of God whether they accepted it or not.

That is not what Paul says in verse 13.

Paul says that his preaching was "really" or "truly" the word of God and they /"accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God."/

The word of man does not become the word of God because it is accepted as the word of God.

Think about that for a minute.

The word of man does not become the Word of God because it is accepted as the Word of God.

We accept it because it is the word of God.

The apostolic word really is the word of God apart from our subjective attitude toward it or our acceptance of its truth.

Again, our accepting it does not make it the word of God, we accept it because it is the word of God.

The word "accepted" means more than "receive".

It means "welcomed."

It means "embraced".