Resolved to Trust the Gospel - 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

1:01Maybe clean your room every day. How's that one, mom and dad, for your kids? What about for husbands and wives? What about resolve to live out Ephesians 5, husbands loving your wives as Christ loved the church, or wives submitting to and respecting your husbands, and children honoring your parents, and parents, you know, not exasperating your kids, but bringing them up in the fear of the Lord? Well, those are just a bunch of resolutions, some of them good, some of them difficult, probably all of them difficult. But today I want to talk about a resolution. You can see it on the slide here. Resolved to trust the gospel. It's a pleading with you to trust the gospel. And I truly believe that as I spent time in the book of 1 Thessalonians and Acts 17 this last week, that it really helped me understand that's what this passage is about. It's about Paul beckoning these people to trust the gospel. We're about to get some wisdom. from a different church, the founding of a different church, the planting of a different church back in AD 50. This is a church that was planted out of God's intense love for a people, which immediately resulted in religious, political, economic attacks nearly 2,000 years ago. Welcome to the first church of Thessalonica. I mean, the first church of Thessalonica, located in modern-day Greece.

2:30Long way from here, a long way from time. Even now, the area of Thessalonica is, I'm told, the second largest or second most populous area in the nation of Greece. It's an important area. Russell just read out of Acts 16, he read the events that led up to this critical event, this critical event of founding a brand new church who'd never heard the gospel before. There were three missionaries, three pastors who showed up on the scene, and they came to this major situation. City, major city, had four major highways going through it for modern, for for ancient commerce. It had a world-class seaport where people came in and out goods and services and philosophical agendas. This is where Paul planted a church along with Silas. Well, in our resolution to trust the gospel, we need to continue reading where Russell left off back in Acts chapter 17. I'll say this: when you turn to Acts 17, hold your place in 1st Thessalonians 2. We're going to go back and forth a little bit this morning, so just be ready to turn some pages. I want to read from Acts 17, just a handful of verses here, a couple of handfuls of verses to kind of set the stage for the founding of this church. And I want you to keep in mind that what we're about to read historically took place about maybe six months before they received this letter to the 1 Thessalonians. It's a very brief period of time between Acts 17 and the period where Paul and Silas and Timothy penned that letter. So keep that in mind. It's a very brief period of time this church was planted and reaching nations with the gospel. Let me just start in verse 1, chapter 17 of Acts.

4:19Now, when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul's customs, he went to them. For three Sabbaths, reasoning with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, This Jesus, whom we are proclaiming to you, is the Christ, is the anointed one, is the Messiah. And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and a number of leading women. But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some of the wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. And attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring him out to the people. And when they did not find him, they began dragging Jason and some of the brethren before the city authorities, shouting, These men who have upset the whole world have come here also.

5:27Is that for a reputation? Verse 7. And Jason has welcomed them, and they act, all act, contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus. They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who had heard these things, and when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them. So it is, 2,000 years ago, God's gospel is given. With intense love to a people that God loved and embraced the gospel through much violence, such that within just a few short weeks, they'd reached the surrounding nations with the gospel. I want to challenge you with the New Year's resolution. Perhaps you haven't made one. Perhaps you've made one and you still need to make another one. And it's this: resolved to trust the gospel. This is Paul's message to this church. He just left them. They're persecuted. He's kicked out of town. And he wants to write them a note to encourage them, to remind them of the things that he'd said, to continue in their faithfulness, despite the attacks on God's word. Be resolved to know and trust the gospel in the year 2017 and beyond. That's what today's message challenges us to do, just as it challenged them. Any church that preaches the gospel with clarity and authority is or will be under attack. Otherwise, they're probably not preaching the gospel. Well, before this happens, we must be resolved to trust the gospel. Before we come into an attack, we must know the gospel so that we can trust it. In Thessalonica, many believed the gospel.

7:24The word spread throughout Europe as a result of their newfound faith. Persecution was on the rise. To save their hides, Paul and Silas are whisked out of town. And I remind you once again, they wrote this letter probably three months later. Three months later, Paul expresses his concern for this church with this profound letter that they read amongst themselves. And he exhorts them to trust the gospel, to not let those who are persecuting them to take away their joy in Christ and their newfound salvation, but to continue reaching Macedonia and Achaia and all points beyond. Hold your spot in Acts 17, but join me over in 1 Thessalonians to pick up some of this narrative that we might be able to understand a little bit better. We've been spending time in our Sunday school class, the Sojourners, going through the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians. We finished that this morning. But you get to join us for another Sunday school class here in chapter 2. Let me just read the message. And it's this, chapter 2, verse 1. You've got to think in your mind the persecution they just went under. For you yourselves know, Paul writes, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. You saw what happened six months ago, verse 2. But after we'd already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition, literally agony.

9:01For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed, for God is our witness. Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others. Even though, as apostles of Christ, we might have asserted our authority, but we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children, having so fond an affection for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our very own lives, because you become very dear to us. For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God, your witnesses. And so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers, just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

10:25That sets the stage for us. That whole understanding of Acts 16 helps us to understand. His desperation for them to know the gospel and to be resolved to keep it. Summarized, verses 1 through 12, you might summarize it this way: amid strong opposition, you must trust the gospel so that you can honor God who calls you into his kingdom and glory. That's what this whole passage is about. Well, there's three reasons the gospel is trustworthy. Trustworthy, three reasons you can be resolved to trust it. Let's deal with them one at a time. The origin of the gospel is certain. The origin of the gospel is certain. We've already read Acts 17. We've taken a look at 1 Thessalonians 1 and 2.

11:12And I'll get to the other two reasons here in a moment, but let's just deal with the first reason you can trust the gospel. You can trust the gospel because it's from God. You can trust the gospel because it's his gospel. In verse 2, if you glance at verse 2 in 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 2, it says this, the latter part of the verse, We had boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God, literally God's gospel amid much opposition. So it's God's gospel. It originates with him, and so therefore we can trust it. And he's reminding them, this isn't what I gave to you. This isn't my message. This is what came from God, and you can testify to that. In verse 1, we're reminded of the very day that these three pastors, this Paul, Silas and Timothy entered that city. But why on earth would they go there? What just happened in Acts chapter 16, days before?

12:14They were beaten. They were arrested. They were thrown in prison. They had stocks fastened around their feet. In the middle of the night, they sang hymns honoring Christ. Earthquake hits. Jailer gets saved. His whole family gets saved. They lead a businesswoman to Christ. They're not intimidated. They're not scared. They make their way to Thessalonica. That's why they're here. Verse 2. They came because, according to Paul, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God.

13:00That torture that they endured didn't set them back. That, you know, uncomfortable conversation with their mom and dad, perhaps, about the gospel and changing of subjects didn't set them back. They were beaten. We shouldn't be set back with a conversation about the gospel. And I know how hard it is growing up in a family that's not sold out for Christ. It's very hard. Nonetheless, we're called to teach God's people and God's people he created that don't know him the truth.

13:33You understand what's going on here, right? The torture that they received in Philippi compelled them all the more to go to Thessalonica to preach the truth. When you think of that word boldness in verse 2, I want you to think about words like it, like frank, confident, courageous, think no political correctness. They told the truth. They did not hold back. They didn't yield to the man-made religions of the day. Nothing intimidated them. They never wimped out because of the political pressures of a pluralistic society. Oh, that was a pluralistic society, by the way. Right? I mean, they believed in every God, and they believed that even gods that hadn't been named in, that they believed, lest they offend those gods that they don't know who they are. They weren't concerned about how the gospel affected their jobs. They didn't care how the stock market was affected. Okay, they didn't have a stock market back then, but you get the idea. They didn't care what happened financially to their culture. They heard the truth. They heard the gospel and they surrendered to it.

14:40You see, Gentiles and prominent women bowing to the Messiah was a great offense to the Jewish leaders of this place. We saw that in Acts chapter 17. That Paul was bold with God's word, with the gospel, proves just the opposite of the charges that these Jewish leaders were leveling against. Against them. Again, it's only been six months since they were there. He's writing this gospel. There was persecution. The Jewish believers raised up those on the financial market to start a riot and to dissuade those who have embraced Christ from continuing.

15:20Hence, you must trust the gospel because it's God's gospel. Well, that begs the question: what is the gospel? What is it? Good news. It is good news. That's right, it's good news. But if you turn back to Acts 17, maybe your finger's there. If not, I can still walk you through it. But Acts 17, the gospel is the same message that the Thessalonians heard in Acts 17, verses 2 through 4. It's very simple. The Savior suffered.

15:50The Savior died and rose again. And in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, he's returning from heaven. Why? To save his people from his wrath to come. That's the gospel. That's pretty simple. He suffered. That means he died. He was crucified. That was the message they preached. He rose again. They believed that message. And the prominent women believed it so much so that their buying patterns changed. They no longer bought into the idols of the day. Hence, since Jesus suffered and died and rose from the dead, he is our Savior.

16:28They heard more than just that. We know that. Because when Paul preached the gospel in other instances, just in the previous chapter, Acts chapter 16, verses 30 through 31, when people embraced Jesus as their Savior and Lord, that's when they were saved. It was an embracing, it was a believing, it was believing what God says is true about his son, not just a head full of Jesus facts and God trivia. It was an embracing of what he'd said.

16:56Notice the results of the gospel in Acts chapter 4, excuse me, Acts chapter 17, verse 4. It says some were persuaded. That means they were convinced. They were won over. They followed. They obeyed. That's what it means to be persuaded. And they joined Paul and Silas along with a large crowd. When you think large crowd, think multitude of people. This was a lot of people. This wasn't just a handful of Thessalonians. This was a crowd. A multitude of Greeks and Gentiles and several leading women. These were important women who had turned from idols to trust the living and true God, prominent, socially connected, rich, powerful women.

17:42Turn back to 1 Thessalonians 1. The contents of the gospel produce results. Look, when you say you believe something, it results in action. It produces results. The contents of your belief changes. Your behavior. When you say you believe something, how does it affect your daily walk? The fact that I don't want to crash my car into an 18-wheeler reveals the fact that I believe that the brakes will stop me, and so I push them and I don't get in an accident. It's because I believe they're going to work, and so my belief results in an action. I don't want to die of starvation, so when I see that wonderful chicken Caesar salad, I'm going to consume it because I believe it will keep me from dying.

18:37When you say you believe in Jesus, what does it do in your life? What changes are made? He's writing this letter to them and to us to say, back it up with your actions. Don't just warm a pew on a Sunday. Look at 1 Thessalonians 1:9. 1 Thessalonians 1:9. You see this Gentile multitude and a large number of these socially connected, rich women, they renounced their idolatry and turned to the living and true God. They renounced their idolatry. Well, what is idolatry? If we were to think to ourselves, what is idolatry 2,000 years ago? We might think of some silver statues or wooden something that people worship, whatever. But what is idolatry? Well, at its root, at its Essence, it's pride. It's maybe our children, maybe our parents, maybe our belonging, maybe it's recognition. You want that one more degree, that terminal degree right here in the college stationary is so important.

19:46Belongings, job title, reputation, power, those things are idols, and that's very prominent amongst our society. Look, an idol is anything in your life that effectively mutes the gospel of Jesus Christ. Anything that you have placed in your life that makes that more important than this message. What is the gospel? Jesus suffered, Jesus died, Jesus rose again, he's coming back to save us from God's wrath. It's repentance and trust such that it changes the way we behave. That's the gospel. The multitude and the leading women turned from serving everything that stifles that message. Have you turned from everything that stifles that message such that you're willing to let anything go that God brings your way for his glory? When people turn from anything that crowds, the crowds are out for you, when the gospel changes your life, when these leading women repented of their sin and their buying patterns changed, it changed the economy. Again, there was a bunch of women who probably spent money on who knows what, but you know what? What?

21:01Their newfound faith in the gospel changed that spending pattern, and it resulted in a riot because the Jewish religious leaders knew they couldn't stop it unless they got the, well, the finance leaders involved. You see, that would stop it. That's when all hell breaks loose, literally. They go after these people. The religious leaders join forces with the market leaders to unleash their wrath on those resolved to trust the gospel and to live it out. Well, when you're chided for the truth, when you're chided for believing in the gospel, press on. Notice what happens in 1 Thessalonians 1:6.

21:49You see, if you're looking at it, they joyfully embraced the gospel even under affliction, persecution. They just weren't, you know, having nauseous stomachs. They were persecuted because of what they believed. 1 Thessalonians 1, verses 7 through 8, we see how the gospel changed their lives. You see, if you just turn back to chapter 1, you'll see that the word of the Lord proceeded forth to Macedonia, to the nation north, and to Achaia, to the south. They were only three weeks, six months in the Lord, and the word of the Lord was reaching outside nations because. Of their faith, and in 1 Thessalonians 1.10, look at it. What happened in 1.10? Well, they were rescued from God's wrath, and they're found awaiting Jesus' return. More of the gospel. The gospel is awaiting his return. Are you looking forward to his return?

22:50If that doesn't strike excitement in your heart, maybe you haven't fully understood the gospel. He's coming back. You understand that, right? They're looking forward to this return. Back in 1 Thessalonians 2:1, think about these pastors, these missionaries that arrived to the Thessalonians. Think about their entrance into this city, verse 1. It wasn't in vain. What does that mean? Literally, it wasn't empty-handed. They came with a purpose. They came with a purpose of expressed love for these people to win them for Christ. And in verse 2, these men and women knew about their suffering and the abuse that they'd taken in Philippi. They'd heard all about it. God's testimony is alive and well in these men, and they made sure that each one in the church of Thessalonica heard about what happened. You see, the gospel is costly. It costs Jesus his life, but it will cost you something too if you're willing to proclaim it.

23:51You see, they saw their confidence in the gospel and their boldness to speak forth God's word amid considerable opposition, literally. Again, it's the word considerable agony. It just wasn't, you know, the defense fighting against the offense at the Aggie football game, as treacherous as that would be for those coming against the Aggies. This was agony for them, and they knew it. The gospel is trustworthy because it originates with God Himself. It's God's gospel, and He invited the gospel, He invented the gospel, and designed the gospel in the face of much hostility. People lived it out. You see, His will for your life, not just to embrace the good news, to say that you believe in something, but it's to demonstrate your trust in the brake pedal and push it down before you hit that 18-wheeler. It's to take God's word and to not hide it within yourself, but to give it to others, because that's what we're called to do. Make disciples of all nations. Was that not Jesus' last recorded words in Matthew?

25:05In the face of hostility, in the face of agony and struggle, we are to be those who are resolved to trust the gospel. Just like the Thessalonians, you trust the gospel as you turn from idols to the living God. As you joyfully embrace the gospel, even if it means being ostracized from your family or your friends, you trust the gospel as you boldly. Evangelize and make disciples. We don't get saved by doing these things, do we? Not at all. We do them because we want to be like Paul and Silas and Timothy, because we love the people for whom we are trying to reach.

25:46If you haven't done it, it's time to sign up for partners one-on-one. It's time to learn sound theological biblical truths that drive you to reach people for Christ because that's what partners do. This brings us to the second reason you must trust the gospel. Here it is: second reason. The motives of the gospel are pure. The motives of the gospel are pure. And we see a whole smattering of this going on in verses 3 through 11. It gives several motivations to trust the gospel, to be resolved to act out the gospel.

26:24Take a look at verse 3. He says this: For our exhortation does not come to you from error or impurity or by way of deceit. Error, a purity, excuse me, error, impurity, or by deceit. In Acts 17:5, the Jews were jealous about these men. They were dissuading people and bringing them over to the gospel. They were jealous about these rich women who had trusted in Christ. And so, here in verse 3, they had. Attacked these pastors. They took these missionaries out to the woodshed on three fronts. Here in 1 Thessalonians 2:3, they attacked their character. That's why Paul is writing to them. They attacked their message. They attacked their character, and they attacked their motives. Do you see it there in verse 3? It comes down to attacking the message, what they said. It comes down to the character, the way they live their lives, and the motives for what they were saying. This is exactly how the world attacks pastors and believers today.

27:33People outside and inside the church, they go after our message, they go after our character, and they go after our motives. What we say, how we live, and the motive behind the message, the words that we say, regardless of what's written in this text. If you don't like what I'm saying up here, you will come after me in one of those three ways. That's what happened to Paul, you see. These pastors addressed these three accusations very carefully in the text. The first one they addressed is the error. Their exhortation is inerrant. They were proclaiming God's gospel. How dare you say that God's gospel has mistakes? What do I mean by this? Fact number one, Jesus suffered. Fact number two, Jesus died. Fact number three, he rose. From the dead. Fact number four, he's coming back to rescue his people from God's wrath.

28:37He's going to return. The message does not have error. Second, they attacked impurity. Their lives were not tainted with immorality. You might understand this a little bit better if you think about the Jewish leaders, how they maligned these men with their accusations of immorality, think vileness, think lewd conduct. Matthew attacked the Pharisees and the lawgivers. In Matthew chapter 23, verse 27, you don't have to go there, but Jesus pronounced judgment against the scribes and the Pharisees because of their impurity, because of their immorality. Here's what he says: he says, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside appear beautiful. But on the inside, they're full of dead men's bones and uncleanness, immorality.

29:36He says, Don't accuse me of immorality. This is you. This is what you're guilty of. Well, there's a third one he addresses. Their exhortations were not deceptive. You see, Greek philosophers of the time trafficked in the arts of deception and fraud and in guile. Why? Well, to coax the crowds, the people to fall prey to their hellish. Lies. And they're saying that these guys, these three men, are just like us. They're doing the same thing. Don't believe what they say. But this doesn't change the facts of the gospel. The facts of the gospel disprove their accusations. What, again, are the facts of the gospels? Dispensed with the smoke and mirrors. Here's what it comes down to: Jesus was crucified, right? Jesus was raised from the dead. He's coming back again to save his people from his wrath. And the people repented from their sin.

30:33We see more reasons to trust the gospel in verse 4. Their motives for ministry are the exact opposite of the accusations in verse 3. Do you see it? Look at verse 4. They were approved by God Himself. Wow, that's cool. God approved them to be the messengers of the message. But how? You see, God entrusted them with his gospel. And you see it? They aren't men-pleasers. Notice more reasons to trust the gospel in verse 6. God Himself says that they don't seek glory and fame from people. God is the witness. God says we don't seek fame and glory from other people.

31:17This is so common today. We see that we have to be aware of the famous preachers, smooth talkers with striking smiles and handsome hairstyles, many of them. Them, you see. Minus the gospel. Like Hollywood celebrities, their allurement seduces people to fawn all over them. And this is what the Pharisees are accusing Paul, Silas, and Timothy of. And they're writing back and say, don't listen to those guys. The facts of the gospel remain. And in verse 7, you can trust the gospel because godly pastors are gentle among believers. Well, how gentle are they? Verse 7.

32:00I love this word picture. In verse 7, do you see it? They're gentle like a mother tenderly nursing and caring for who? Her own children. Paul's saying, we weren't like those philosophers among you. We treated you as though a mother tending to cherishing her children and nursing them. What a word picture. That's what a pastor, a godly pastor, looks like. This is why the qualifications for a pastor, for an elder, is for a man who controls his temper. He's not a fighter, but he's gentle. He's peaceable. He's hospitable. He's not a drunk.

32:48He's free from greed. These Jewish leaders, these scribes, and these Pharisees were obnoxious fighters. He's saying, we're not like them. That's not how you received the gospel. A pastor who unexpectedly lashes out at God's people is not like Paul, Silas, and Timothy, or any religious leader for that matter. They were gentle like infants. They comforted people like mothers who tenderly cherish and care for their own children. Well, you can trust the gospel because the motives of the gospel behind the delivery of it are pure. You see, in verse 8, verse 8 gives us more reasons to trust the gospel. You can trust the gospel because men who preach it are gentle, as evidenced by this, their strong affection for their flock. They love the people and their church. They want to be with them and near them. The sheer pleasure they get out of sharing the gospel of God with them is something that is unescapable to them. That's these three men. In verse 8, they share their own lives. Literally, that word lives there is souls. They bore their souls before them. They'd only known them for a few weeks, and they gave them everything they had. Why? Look at verse 8. Really, the ending to verse 8.

34:12Because they're very dear to these three shepherds. These people are dear to them. Are you a shepherd? Do you love God's people? You want to be with them? I can't think of a better place to be on New Year's Day than right here at Emmanuel. Baptist Church, I love God's people. Who in your life needs for you to disciple them? Who needs to know the gospel more that you can help them? Being a shepherd requires affection for those chosen by God. Read about that in chapter 1, verse 4. The idea here in verse 8 is this, that they have an emotional kind of warmth for this people.

34:59They share the gospel with them for the sheer pleasure of it. These pastors are not like the scribes and the Pharisees who lorded over the people and forced them to do things that they do not want to do, lest they be kicked out of the temple. They didn't dump a truckload of data on them and then rush off to their study without spending time with them and loving them. On the contrary, in verse 8, they shared their very lives, their souls with them, because, why? Well, the people were precious to them. This is another reason you can trust the gospel in verse 10. Both the people and God himself are witnesses to the pastor's behavior and motivations for ministry as they preach the gospel. You'll see the motivations. There's three of them in verse 10. Three motivations. They had a reputation for behaving how? Devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly toward these believers. Verse 11 provides an example for their behavior as that of a dad. Of a father tenderly caring for his own children. A godly pastor is like a mother who nurtures her children, but a godly pastor is like a father who tenderly cares for his children. Do you see the word picture here? Paul's defending himself against the idea that maybe, just maybe, some of these Greeks and some of these wealthy women would turn their backs on the gospel, and he's telling them, don't listen to what they're saying. Remember what you saw. We were like a dad tenderly caring for his own children.

36:33I'll admit to you, I struggle with this because I'm a long way from this. I have a long way to go as a pastor, but nonetheless, this is what the text says, and I am convicted. Paul, Silas, and Timothy set the bar very high. They didn't want these people turning their backs on Christ. They shepherded these people. So first, you must trust the gospel because it originates with God himself. It's God's gospel. He invented the gospel. He designed the gospel, and his will for your life is to embrace it. Second, you must trust the gospel because God's ambassadors have pure motives in the delivery of it. Don't listen to the naysayers. But there's a final reason to trust the gospel. It's in verse 12. Because the results of the gospel are eternal. Let me just read verse 12.

37:27We trust the gospel because. It's eternal. He says this, so that you would walk. It means behave. Behave in a manner. Walk in a manner worthy of God. Who calls you? That's a tall order, isn't it? Behave in a manner that's worthy of God who is calling you. Literally, present tense. He's calling you into his own kingdom and glory right now. That's why we behave in a manner consistent with the gospel. You see, in the same way that a loving father exhorts and encourages and testifies to his individual children, watch it in verse 12. Look at it again. Paul exhorts and encourages and testifies for you to trust the gospel so that you can conduct yourself in a manner worthy of God who is calling you right now, at this very moment in time, calling you into his kingdom and glory.

38:24That begs the question: what does this conduct worthy of God look like? Well, you recall from Acts 17, this Gentile multitude, this large number of socially connected women, what happened? They renounced their idolatry and they turned to the true and living God. They turned away from their idols, the things that drowned out the gospel, and they turned to the living and true God. The things that they placed before God was not living, was not true. It was just something that the Lord was. They based their lives on and separated them from the gospel. They turned from it. Do you get the message? What are you turning from that's more important in your life than the fact that Jesus suffered, that he was crucified, that he rose again and he's coming back to rescue you from the wrath to come? What is more important than that in your life?

39:24Your conduct must resemble their conduct. You must embrace the gospel message that Jesus, again, suffered and died. I'm repeating myself because it bears repeating. He rose again and he's coming back. Like them, you must renounce your servitude to idols that removes the gospel from your life. Remember, the idols can be a number of things. Pride, maybe it's your children, maybe it's parents, maybe it's belonging, recognition, promotion, ad nauseum, whatever it is. You must be resolved to serve the living God who, in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, raised Jesus from the dead and rescues them from the wrath to come.

40:08Why? Look at verse 12 again. Here it is. Because God is calling you into the place of eternal salvation, into the grandeur of his kingdom, heaven. That's why. This, my friends, is the eternal. Results of the gospel. Are you resolved to trust the gospel? I want you to look at verse 13 to summarize what we just said this way. Read verse 12 first. So that they would walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory for this reason. We also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God, God's gospel, which you heard from us, you accepted it, not as the word of men, but as for what it really is, the word of God, which performs its work in you who are present tense believing.

41:19Resolved to trust the gospel. To what evidence in your life will others point that you are resolved to trust the gospel to demonstrate that this is what you are living out, a dependence on God's word. Father, we're so grateful for a message that is so timely and touching as this one, that you would show us the planting of a church amid much opposition, amid much agony, that they embraced the truth in a very short period of time, such that they reached the neighbors with the truth to the north and to the south, such that they They turned their spending patterns to reflect that which is honoring and pleasing to you.

42:09Would we be like those who are joyfully awaiting your return, even as we joyfully are faced with persecution for the gospel of truth? Would we be a church that is like a city on a hill, that is seen by others as a church that just doesn't come on Sunday mornings and listen to the flapping of a job, but that we are those who are changed, as is evidenced by what you've done in our lives, as we reach still more, both in our own neighborhoods, our families, our two cities here in Texas, our nation. Lord, in points around the globe, we thank you for this gospel, and we, as your people, are resolved to know it more and keep it.

43:01Well, if this is a resolution you'd like to keep, would you spend some time in your own prayer with the Lord?