Ready & Confident
Notes
Transcript
Big Idea:
Big Idea:
The Church is ready and confident.
Intro:
Intro:
Good morning. Thanks for being with us for Church Online!
One of my favorite movies is McFarland. Any of you seen it? If you’re watching on Facebook and have, put the little runner emoji in the comments! But it’s a really good movie.
First of all, I like watching it for the food scenes. I’m from California and miss authentic Mexican food! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
I also enjoy running. So, the movie connects with me that way.
And really, it’s just a good ol-fashioned inspiring story!
If you’ve never seen it, it’s based on a true story of a football coach turned cross-country coach. He ends up at a school in a super poor neighborhood. They don’t have much of a football program, so his services aren’t needed. But then, he comes up with the idea of starting a cross-country team after watching some of the kids run from school to the fields where they work. He gets approval from the school and picks out this rag-tag group of kids.
And training and competition is brutal. Constant running. Long distances. Hill workouts. Running up mountains.
And there’s this one runner - Danny Diaz. He’s a big kid. In fact, some on the team wonder why he’s even there. But they needed someone to fill an extra spot for a full team, so Danny is in!
Throughout the entire movie, he’s the slowest on the team. Nevertheless, he trains just like the rest of the team. Same distance, time, and workouts. And even the coach begins to encourage him, telling him he’s got a role and purpose on the team.
Fast-forward, and this team of nobodies miraculously makes it to the state championships! But, when the start gun goes off, one of the kids on the McFarland team is anxious and bolts off. After just a little while, he’s gassed and pretty much ruined his team’s chance of winning.
…but then there’s Danny.
All of a sudden, Danny’s ready. All of sudden, Danny looks around and realizes he’s trained for this; in fact, he seems to be stronger than the other kids, even though his physique doesn’t look like it, so he’s confident. And at the end of the race, because of Danny, McFarland wins the state championship! Danny doesn’t come in first, but he did his part and helped the team overcome to win!
And this morning, in our “Read the Instructions” series, Paul is going to finish this first letter by instructing on things Danny Diaz knew about: Being ready and being confident. Things the church needs to be in order to grow and accomplish the mission Jesus has given us.
If you have your Bible, turn to 1 Thess. 5...
Exegesis:
Exegesis:
Last week, Paul instructed them on the hope of Christ. That one day, Jesus is coming back. That should radically impact our lives. It should cause the church to always have hope, regardless of the circumstances. Our future is sealed with the goodness of God.
But now, as Paul wraps us this letter, he uses the theme of the end times as a springboard to his bit of instruction. He writes...
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
That phrase “time and seasons” is typically used to refer to future end times events. And once again, what Paul is about to discuss is something he’s spoken to them about already… He goes on to say...
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Connected to the return of Christ, is the future event labeled, “the day of the Lord.” However, unlike the return of Christ, which is filled with hope, “the day of the Lord” is full of judgment. You see, although not popular in our culture, and definitely not fun to talk about, exists another side to the gospel.
Remember, the gospel means “good news.” It’s good news that because of what Jesus did on the Cross, those who put their faith in Him have the hope that one day He will return to take them to heaven. But as I’ve said before, “what makes the good news truly good, is the fact that there’s bad news.”
The bad news is we are sinners, naturally in rebellion to a holy God. We don’t deserve heaven. We deserve judgment. But God so loved the world, He sent Jesus to give us hope! But He’s also given us a choice. We have free-will, meaning we can choose and our choices matter. We can choose not to accept God’s gift of grace. We can to live in rebellion and face judgment. And if that’s our choice, our future is “the day of the Lord.”
And while it seems like Paul’s headed in a scary direction, he makes a sudden shift...
But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
It’s like Paul mentions judgment, but then’s like, “You don’t have to worry about that. In fact, this is what I really want to talk about...”
So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
While talking about sin and the coming judgment is important, that’s not Paul’s main point in this passage. His main point is...
You need to be woke for Jesus (vv. 1-11).
You need to be woke for Jesus (vv. 1-11).
I know that phrase “woke” is used a lot in the media right now. My intention is not to engage that right now. I’m simply using the word to help us understand Paul’s instructions. And simply put, it means to be “aware.” As the church, we need to be aware of who we are in Jesus.
Paul uses a few comparisons to explain this:
Sleep vs awake (btw, in this passage, “sleep” sleep doesn’t mean dead like in chapter 4. It means careless or unaware).
He also uses night vs day.
And drunk vs sober.
Then, in verse 8, he uses military phrasing - basically get your armor on! - to add emphasis to his point: As the church, we need to be READY to live on mission for Jesus! We need to be woke for Jesus.
You want to be aware of something, be sure to be aware of Jesus first.
Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
We are children of the light. We are people of the day. We are soldiers, hand-picked and chosen to go to battle and be on mission for Jesus. We are not destined for God’s judgment. We’ve been saved for a purpose! So, let’s live like it.
And that’s why Paul says...
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
We need to wake up! We got a mission. We can’t be careless or unaware. God’s got a purpose for us. People are depending on us.
So, let me encourage you this morning. Let me build you up! You’re important to this Kingdom. You’re important to this mission. You matter. You ARE a soldier in the King’s army. He has gifted you and empowered you with His Holy Spirit. So, be ready and be aware, because you can be called into action at any time!
You know… bad things happen when soldiers get careless, get drunk on duty, or fall asleep. But that’s not you! That’s not us. God is instructing us and shaping us into warriors.
Maybe that’s hard to believe… that’s why this next part is so important!
As Paul finalizes this letter, he kinda lists a bunch of stuff in command form. And while we could greatly benefit spending time breaking down each part, I think we’d miss the whole point of Paul’s ending...
You know when you’re watching a show on Netflix, Hulu, or Disneyplus, and the beginning of the episode will have a recap (or short summary) of all that’s previously happened? The point isn’t to focus on the summary, it’s to prepare you for what’s next. That’s kinda what Paul’s doing...
Let me show you...
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
There’s a lot of stuff in there. Good stuff. But in many ways, Paul’s summarizing what’s he’s already discussed with them.
He’s talking about how to grow in love.
He’s talking about how to grow in faithfulness, commitment, thankfulness, holiness, and hope - everything we’ve read about for 4 chapters...
But the summary isn’t the focus, it’s to point you to the next episode. And Paul’s final episode of instruction is this:
…As the church...
Don’t sleep on Jesus (vv. 12-28).
Don’t sleep on Jesus (vv. 12-28).
What I mean is, “Be confident in the work Jesus is doing in us and through us!”
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s list of instructions is meant to remind the Thessalonians of all that God has done in their life. They had already experienced God supernaturally growing and transforming them. So, keep growing in these things.God is accomplishing great things as we live for Him. Don’t let anything stop you.
Because here’s the reality we can connect with...
The Christian faith was complete new to them. They didn’t have any experienced or mature Christians in their town. And, they were suffering for their faith.
We may not be experiencing those same circumstances, but I think we can connect to over-arching principle...
The enemy was using all of these circumstances to try and get them to give up. To abandon their faith. To live carelessly. To sleep on Jesus. And I think we can connect with that.
We face the same thing. Life gets hard. We question our faith. We get distracted. We stop putting Jesus first in our lives. The enemy lulls us to sleep.
Furthermore, maybe we make mistakes. Maybe we willingly choose our selfish desires over serving Jesus. Maybe we keep failing in our faith. Whatever it is, it makes it hard to believe we are elite soldiers for Christ - living with a purpose and mission. But don’t sleep on Jesus!
Be confident in Christ! Or as Paul puts it...
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
To the Thessalonians, this was a reminder that the good work God was doing in them and thru them, was going to continue. They could be confident in Christ. That’s the same message for us this morning.
I know this COVID thing is hard. I know this life is overwhelming. I know the spiritual attacks of the enemy on our minds is crazy (we’re anxious, depressed, worried, afraid). But don’t sleep on Jesus! “He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it!”
Response:
Response:
As we close, I want us to consider how to respond. Now, many times, response involves action. Action is good. Action means A LOT! But I believe THINKING must precede action. And if we are to become the church God is calling us to be - the church Paul is instructing the Thessalonians to be - it must start up here...
Actually, the Bible says...
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Notice the phrase, “transformed by the renewal of your mind.” The transformation Jesus is doing in us is directly connected to our thinking.
If we’re gonna stay woke for Jesus (be ready and on mission), we must get our mind right. We have to believe by faith we are soldiers. We gotta believe God has called us to a mission and a purpose.
In fact, that’s what Paul refers to in verse 9 when he says we are to “obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” It’s not talking about earning salvation through action, it’s talking about applying what Jesus has said about our identity.
Furthermore, not “sleeping on Jesus,” requires transformational thinking. We must be confident in God! We must believe what He says by faith! That we CAN live the life He’s called us to because He will finish what He started in us and has given us the power of the Holy Spirit.
When our mind is right… [whether…]
He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
Look at the final four verses with me...
Brothers, pray for us.
Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss.
I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
I believe the Scripture gives us easy examples on how to change our thinking so we can be ready and confident in Christ:
Verse 25 says, “Brothers, pray for us.” Our thinking changes when we pray. Prayer is powerful. It accomplishes much, especially in us. And prayer is something we do together. So, let’s pray together.
Think of one thing you have trouble believing by faith. Maybe it’s something God says about you. Maybe it’s something God is calling you to. Whatever it is, let’s pray that God will reveal Himself to you and change your thinking.
If you need prayer, submit a prayer request online. Or many of you received a prayer request card mailed to you. Fill that out and send it back. Or, join us for prayer Thursday and Sunday mornings via Zoom.
Verses 26-27 - talk about greeting each other with holy kisses (we’re going to skip that one and blame it on COVID) and to read this letter together. What I want to focus on is community. This Christian life can’t be done in isolation.
So, get plugged into a Life Group! Actually, our Tolland County Life Group is meeting tonight at 5pm! Register online for that at riverchurchct.com
Finally, Paul closes by mentioning the grace of God. Transformation starts by understanding all of this is a gift. God’s forgiveness, purposes, power, mission, and salvation. All a free gift of love.
Everything in our world is about earning it! Don’t get me wrong, action is good. Work is good. But what’s really powerful is learning to receive everything God’s grace by faith.
Are you ready to receive God’s grace by faith this morning?
Let’s pray:
Father, thank you for Your grace. Thank you for all you’re doing in our lives. Help us to be ready. Help us to be confident in Jesus. Whatever it is You’re desiring to accomplish in our lives this morning, we want to receive. Grow our faith so we can become all You’re calling us to be. And we pray these things in Jesus name, amen.
Thanks for joining us for Church Online. If this was your first time, fill out a Connect Card. We’d love to say hi and send you a gift. Also, if you have prayer requests, would like to join a Life Group, or gave your life to Christ, we want to hear form you! There are easy ways to do all of that on our website (riverchurchct.com) or follow the links in the comments below!
Have a great day - God bless you!