What Legacy will We Leave behind? Part 1
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Introduction
Introduction
Today we will be continuing on in our series “Staying the Course” as we gather together for our first Sunday of the New Year. If you will remember, last Sunday we looked at Paul’s message to young Timothy which was all about Fighting to the Finish! Paul said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith!” And we talked about how if we are going to reach people for Christ in 2020 we must do the same!
In order to lead the lost to Christ, we must stay the course! We must fight the good fight of faith against the prince of this world and his many demonic beings. We must fight the schemes and plores of this to draw us away from God and his ways! And we must fight against our own old lusts and fleshly desires!
We must not only fight but we must fight to the finish! We must finish our course! We must determine in our hearts that we are going to fight either until God calls us home or Jesus comes back and receives us unto himself! One or the other! But either way we must fight to the finish!
And we must keep the faith! When it seems as if we can’t press on any further, we must look unto God for our strength! We must rest in His presence! We must trust in His guidance! The Bible says to Trust in Lord with all thy heart and to lean not unto our own understanding. In all our ways we are to acknowledge Him and the Bible says if we will do that He will direct our paths!
Staying the Course in 2020 means we must fight, we must finish and we must keep the faith!
And if you will remember, we also learned last week that this letter to young Timothy was more than likely the last letter that Paul ever wrote.
Ironically, today we are going to be looking at what most agree was probably the first epistle that Paul ever wrote. We are going to be looking at the Book of 1 Thessalonians and the first chapter at a message I’ve entitled “What Legacy will We Leave behind?”
The Composers & The Congregation — (Vs. 1)
The Composers & The Congregation — (Vs. 1)
The Chapter opens by telling us who it is that is composing this letter. You will notice here that it says, “Paul, Silvanus and Timotheus to the Church of the Thessalonians.” Now Paul and Timothy we are very familiar with but who is Silvanus? Anyone know?
Silvanus is actually the Greek rendering of the Latin name Silas. As we all know from our study in Acts, Silas became the faithful companion of Paul after him and Barnabas decided to part ways. Silas was the one who was thrown into jail with Paul in the city of Philippi and if you will remember, at the midnight hour, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing praises to God and the place began to shake and all the prison doors opened up and that’s the night that the prison guard and all his house got saved because he seen the power of God at work in the lives of two men who had hazarded their lives for the gospel of Jesus Christ!
So Paul says this letter is written from him, Silas & Timothy. And then he says, “to the Church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and the in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul is saying something of significance here and I want to try and bring it out to you. You see, I truly believe that we’ve diminished the word “Church” over the course of the last two thousand years!
The real meaning behind this word (ekklesia) is, “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.”
And as I began to think about that definition, I began to think about us sitting here on this little corner. We have assembled together here today in a Public place where anyone and everyone is welcome to come in and hear the precious word of God preached. But more than that, more than assembling ourselves together in this private house that is open to the public, we should be gathering ourselves together outside of these four walls.
It’s one thing for people to drive by on Sunday mornings and see our parking lot sitting full of believers who have come out to the house of God to worship. You see, this is God’s house, God’s domain, and we feel at home here, don’t we?
But listen, when the Church of God to takes the message of God out there and we begin to proclaim Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world, guess what’s going to happen? The devil is going to begin to take note because that’s his home! That’s his domain! He’s prince of this world!
As long as God’s people are only gathering together in His house then the devil has full reign of everything else but dear friend, when God’s people start trampling on the devil’s territory, when we start making his turf our turf, when we start winning his people to Christ and making them God’s people, that’s when the hornet’s nest is going to get stirred, Amen!
We, the Church are a called out people and I believe if the Church is going to turn things around for God in the years to come, we must take God out to a lost and dying world!
I read a statistic yesterday that stated that 70% of Christian kids today grow up and walk away from the Church! 70%!!!! The devil is luring them out so if we’re going to make a difference, we’ve going to have to go out and get in his face and take them back!
We are the Church of the living God! So, why are we so scared of fighting for Him? Last time I checked, Jesus told Peter, upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it!”
WE ARE THE CHURCH! WE CANNOT BE DEFEATED! AND IF GOD BE FOR US, THEN NO ONE CAN STAND AGAINST US! And I believe it’s time we start acting like it!
As you are going to see here in a moment, Paul has nothing but commendation for the Church at Thessalonica and the reason is because they were a Church who took the message of God out without fear of what repercussions might come from it!
Two letters did Paul write to this Church and in both you’ll find nothing but thanks and praise for the work they are doing!
So we see the Composers of the message and the Congregation to which it was written…now I want to add one more little thing to that thought, “the Congregation to which it was written.”
Do you realize that in Paul’s mind he was simply writing a message to his beloved brothers and sisters in Thessalonica? He had no clue that God would take this message to the Church at Thessalonica and make it part of a book that would last for ages to come and encourage hundreds of thousands of other congregations!
What a wonderful thing to see how God can use one man who’s sold out to Christ to change the lives of millions throughout history! And then this thought…do you realize that any of us here could have this same impact if we would sell out to God?
Any one person sitting here today could be the next Paul who leaves his/her mark for God on the pages of history for centuries to come!
Now let’s move on to the Commendation & Commemoration in the letter.
The Commendation & Commemoration — (Vs. 2-4)
The Commendation & Commemoration — (Vs. 2-4)
Paul starts his commendation by telling the Church that he thanks God always for them and prays for them often.
Then Paul says something that was the crux behind this message today. He says, “remembering without ceasing your work of faith, your labor of love and your patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
He’s saying here, “we thank God and pray for you often because we can’t forget your work of faith, your labor of love and patience of hope in Jesus Christ!”
There’s no way we can forget about our Brothers and Sisters in Thessalonica because of the work their doing for Christ!
This Church in Thessalonica was known for their work, their love, and their patience! There’s nothing better a Church can be known for than this!
Work of Faith
Work of Faith
First we have their Work of Faith which pointed back to a risen Savior. This phrase “work of faith” not only speaks of work itself but the product that results from the work!
The work this Church was doing for God was evident in the fact that it was producing more believers! Is that not the main reason that the Church exists? Listen, if a Church isn’t working to some capacity at all times to lead the lost to Christ then it’s not fulfilling the Commission of Christ!
Jesus’ last commandment to his disciples was to go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost!
J Hudson Taylor — The great commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed!
The Church at Thessalonica was known for their Work of Faith! They were always working for God because of their faith in Jesus Christ and dear friend we ought to always be busy for Christ as well!
A. Matthew 5:16 (KJV) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
B. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV) — Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
C. James 2:26 (KJV) — For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
If we’re going to be a thriving Church on fire for God, then like the Church of Thessalonica, we must always be working to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ!
So, they were known for their Work of Faith. Then they were also known for their Labor of Love.
Labor of Love
Labor of Love
Their Labor of Love was active presently in the fact that they were enduring sufferings and afflictions to lead others to Christ. This phrase “labor of love” means “intense labor united with trouble & toil.”
If you will remember, Paul told the Corinthians in the final verse of the great Love Chapter… “now abideth faith, hope and love these three but the greatest of these three is love!”
Why love? Because love will cause a person to do things they normally wouldn’t do and go to lengths that they usually wouldn’t go! The Thessalonians had a deep love for God and because of their great love for God, they also had a great love for the lost!
And I’m here to tell you this morning that this is what separates an average Church or a Church that is merely existing from a Great Church on fire for God!
The people of the Church at Thessalonica had a deep love and desire to see lost people be saved and I’m here to tell you that we need to have that same love and desire to see the lost come to know Christ!
One of the greatest tragedies in my opinion of the day and time in which we live is the fact that the majority of so called Christians nowadays don’t give two rips about a lost person on their way to hell! We’re only worried about ourselves!
Reminds me of the Pharisees of Jesus time! The Bible says that Jesus was having a meal in Matthew’s house and there were a bunch of publicans and sinners sitting with Jesus and his disciples having dinner and the Pharisees seeing it say how is that Jesus is eating and drinking with publicans and sinners?
Jesus overheard them and said, “they that are whole have no need of a physician but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance!”
Jesus had a love for the lost and oh how I am thankful he did because I’m a sinner and your a sinner and guess what he loved us when we were dead in our trespasses and sins! He loved us so much that he died for us!
The Bible says in...Romans 5:6-8 (KJV) 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
If Jesus, who is the head of the Church, had a love for the lost then doesn’t it stand to reason that the Church itself should also have a love for the lost?
John Phillips told the story of a Pastor friend of his that pastored a thriving megachurch. When asked how he accounted for the astonishing and continuing growth of their church. He said, "Our people love the Lord Jesus. Our people love each other. Our people love lost people."
If we’re going to stay the course for Christ in 2020 we’ve got to foster a love for the lost! We should desire to see multitudes of lost people be saved this year!
The Church at Thessalonica was known for it’s labor of love for the lost! And not only their work of faith and their labor of love but also their patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ!
Patience of Hope
Patience of Hope
The Church at Thessalonica forged forward in their work of faith and their labor of love because of their hope in the Lord Jesus Christ’s return!
Many people were probably asking the people of the Church at Thessalonica, “Why do you go to Church every time the doors are open? Why do you study your Bible all the time? Why do you stay so busy with Church stuff so often?” Their answer: because we patiently wait for the eminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
That word patient stands out to me in this phrase and here’s why. How easy is it to get discouraged when we travel every road on foot a mile in each direction of the Church and don’t see a lot of fruits for our labor? How easy is it to get discouraged when we put on a big event like Preaching at the Park and we don’t have the crowd show up that we’d hoped to see? How easy is it to get discouraged when you put a ton of work into preparing for a message and you just know that someone is going to be saved through it but you give the invitation and not a soul comes to the altar?
I’m gonna tell you how easy it is…it’s very easy! But you know what makes it all worth while? When even though you may not have had the crowd you had planned show up at Preaching at the Park but still 3 people get saved! It makes it worth it when you get on Facebook and see that one of those people you met while traveling up and down these country roads is out there telling people about Jesus and how good He is! It makes it worth it when one Sunday when you feel like you just delivered the worst sermon of your life and God takes it and convicts a soul to walk down that isle and accept Him!
Listen friend, it’s easy to get discouraged, but like the Church at Thessalonica, we must patiently press on knowing that the working of our faith and labor of love will recompence for us a reward in heaven above!
We don’t give up. We don’t give in. We keep pressing forward, endeavoring to see lost men, women, boys and girls come to know the saving grace of God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
We keep going because we know that one day He will come again and receive us to himself that where He is there we may be also!
That day my friend is when our hope will end in sight and our faith will be realized and oh, what a wonderful and joyous day that will be for Paul said in...
2 Timothy 4:8 (KJV) 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.
Jesus said in...John 6:27 (KJV) — Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Closing
Closing
As we come to a close I want to go back to Verse 3. Paul said, “remembering without ceasing your work of faith, your labor of love and your patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Church of Thessalonica will forever be remembered for these 3 wonderful attributes. And the question I leave you with today is this…What will New Home be remembered for? 50 years, 100 years, 1,000 years from now should the Lord delay His coming, what will this Church be remembered for?
It will be remembered for what you want it to be remembered for, for you are the Church! The decision is yours!
I want each of you to close your eyes for me for a second as they come to get us a song and I want you to fill in this blank for yourself…I want New Home to remembered for _____________? What is it that you hope this Church is remembered for?
Now here’s what I want you to do next…we’re going to give an invitation here and whatever it was that you filled in that blank with, I want you to ask God to help you fulfill that thing.
If you said for instance, “I want New Home to be remembered for leading the lost to Christ,” then I want you to now ask God to use you specifically to help fulfill that thing.