Are You Fixed In Your Faith ?

Let's turn in our Bibles. First Thessalonians chapter 3.

1 Thessalonians 3 · chapter mention

First Thessalonians chapter 3. Let's hear God's word.

1 Thessalonians 3 · chapter mention

We're reading, of course, from the King James Bible.

I encourage all who are online to get a Bible and read for

themselves, but the words will come up on screen for those who

are joining with us. We do welcome you in the Lord's

name. Let's hear God's word together.

First Thessalonians, chapter 3. Wherefore when we could no

1 Thessalonians 3 · chapter mention

longer for bear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone,

and sent to Muthi as our brother and minister of God, and our

fellow labour in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and to

comfort you concerning your faith, that no man should be

moved by these afflictions for yourselves.

Know that we are appointed thereunto.

For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we

should suffer tribulation even as it came to pass.

And you know, for this cause, when I could no longer for bear,

I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the temp there

have tempted you, and our labour being vain.

But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good

tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good

remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as

we also to see you. Therefore, brethren, we were

comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your

faith. For now you live, if you stand

fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to

God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your

sakes before God, night and day, praying exceedingly that we

might see your face and make perfect that which is lacking in

your fear. Now God Himself and our Father

and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you, and the Lord

make you to increase and abound and love one toward another and

toward all men, even as we do toward you.

To the end He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness

before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus

Christ with all His Saints. Amen.

We know God will stamp with His own approval and blessing this

reading of His own precious and infallible and inerrant Word.

This morning, for those who are visiting with us, we are

continuing our series of expository studies in the book

of First Thessalonians. And today we're turning our

attention to 1st Thessalonians chapter 3 verses one through to

seven. Now my text is taken from the

verse 5. Paul says, for this 'cause when

I could no longer for bear, I sent to know your faith, lest by

some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be

in vain. Now when titled this message,

are you fixed in your faith? Now let's think of the apostle

Paul as a burdened and concerned minister of the gospel.

Remember, he is a genuine loving care for the people of God.

Think of the context. Look at chapter 3, verse one,

wherefore we'll pause. That means in view of this, in

view of what, or in light of this, what he said in verses 19

and 20 of the previous chapter. For what is our hope or joy or

crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence

of our Lord Jesus Christ of his coming, For ye are our glory and

joy. You see, from this verse,

chapter 3, verse one, we learned that Paul was alone at Athens.

Remember, they had left Thessalonanka for his own safety

at the behest of the congregation there.

They fled to Berea. He preached there.

He saw many converted. He was hardly there when the

unbelieving Jews of Thessalonanka showed up, stirred

up the people, and then there was more opposition and

persecution, and Paul fled from Berea to Athens.

Swaggy believed that Timotheus and Silas stayed on at Berea.

And you can read about this historical record of what

happened in Acts 17, verses 1 to 15.

Acts 17:1–15

Now while Paul was alone at Athos, we get a glimpse, another

glimpse into the heart of one who was a genuine pastor, one

who had a deep love for the people of God.

Let's paraphrase the word. Notice what he says.

He says where? For when we could no longer for

bear. Come down to verse 5 for this,

'cause when I could no longer for bear, the word for bear

means to cover or it means to conceal.

Now what does that mean if I paraphrase it?

When we could stand it no longer, when we were going crazy

in our heart and mind concerning your spiritual welfare,

concerning your spiritual walk with God, Paul says in that

context, I decided it was better for me to be left alone at

Athens and sent Timothy, our brother.

Notice the wording there in verse 2.

And minister of God and our fellow labour in the gospel of

Christ, he was sent and what was he sent to do to comfort you

concerning your faith? Now that's important that you

grasp that the chief lesson and reason for this was that lest

you be overcome with these afflictions that you're facing,

lest you be overcome with persecution that you're facing,

lest you be overcome with the tempter getting the better of

you. And if that were to happen, he

says there in verse 5, lest our labour had been in vain.

Now Timothy of course, is a wonderful individual in the

Bible, I believe a minor member of Team Paul.

He had a Greek father. He wasn't a Jew.

He was less likely to be recognised in Thessalonica or

opposed. So he was sent in this important

mission. Timothy, have a job for you.

Go and find out what is happening in Fest and I think go

and find out about the state of the church.

Come back and give me a personal report.

You see, Paul had a big burden and a big concern for the care

of the church. And eventually, Timothy, they

come back with good news of their perseverance and the faith

we read in verse 6. Now when Timotheus came from you

unto us and brought us good tidings of your faith and

charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us, always

desiring greatly to see us as we also to see you.

And what does he say in verse 7? Therefore, again, in light of

this, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our

affliction and distress. How were they comforted by your

faith? And as a result, the apostle

Paul wrote First Thessalonians on the basis and back of

Timothy's good report. So understand this in order

chronologically. First Thessalonians was the

first epistle. Paul wrote under the inspiration

of the Holy Spirit, the first epistle in the New Testament

Scriptures, and that's what we're expounding.

That's what we're learning today.

And 1st Thessalonians chapter 3 is primarily with these new

converts, and Paul wants to encourage them to continue to to

go on and to go through with God.

Keep in mind, as I've said, Paul had a genuine love and concern

for their spiritual well-being. He's not so much bothered

whether they're rich or poor, educated or uneducated, not

concerned about the type of the house they live in or how much

money they have in their bank or what their station is in life.

His chief concern was about their faith.

It's not what he says in verse 2 concerning your faith.

Verse 5, I sent to know your faith.

I repeat, Paul was a burdened minister for the people of God.

He was a true shepherd and pastor of the people, not on

hireling. Remember this was the man that

wrote to the church at Ephesus, and he said this in Acts chapter

Acts 20 · chapter mention

20 and verse 28. Take heed therefore unto

yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost had

made you overseers to feed the Church of God, which He had

purchased with His own blood. Take heed and pay attention to

all the flock. What's he really saying here?

Make sure you care for your congregation that Christ

purchased with His own blood. Because every believer so

precious a sovereign gift to the Pastor Paul wanted to be with

them. He missed them.

He had a heart for them. He was willing for a life of

self denial. Alone at Athens.

Wasn't easy to be alone at Athens, the intellectual centre

of the world, a very cultured place of learning and education,

a place of great oratory philosophy and gifts, a place

full of idols and superstition, few converts, no church.

And Paul had to face these things alone.

That's hard, especially when you're in a place and you see

very little success. If we contrast Thessalonanka,

where he had many converts, where there was a flourishing

church, the very same preacher, and it's all connected to the

sovereign will of a sovereign God.

And God's sovereignty operates in these things.

And I was taught this week, even from Acts 2028, that we're not

called to be successful, but we're called to be faithful and

have a care of the church that Christ purchased with his own

blood. Yet Paul is human.

Paul is alone at Athens and it's hard and he needed support.

He needed the help of others. He says when I could no longer

for Berry, he tells us twice. No longer conceal my mind, no

longer conceal my mood, no longer conceal my my anxiety and

worry about your spirituality. I sent Timothy to know about

your faith. Let me give you a little

illustration that I thought about.

Here's little Johnny. Here's me Sarah and they're

going to school. It's the first time, the big

school first day they're left at the school door or the school

deed. There's a few tears.

Maybe they're shedding tears. Maybe Mummy's shedding tears.

Mummy goes home. She tries to do the housework,

she tries to make a few phone calls.

But as the hours tick by, she becomes anxious.

She's worried. She's fearful that we Johnny

settle that that's Sarah Settle. I hope they're not sick, I hope

they're OK and eventually Mummy can stick it no longer 'cause

maybe Granny's been on the phone.

Well, any word? And at lunchtime they phoned the

school office to ask about Johnny or to ask about we Sarah,

and they're just asking to hope that everything's OK and they

get a wee bit of reassurance from the secretary or maybe from

the principal themselves. See, they can't wait till 2:00

PM. See, that's a faint picture of

what is going on here. Paul has great compassion, great

care for the church. He's chiefly concerned about

their spirituality. That's the point.

His chief concern was this. Are you fixed in your faith?

Notice three things here very quickly. 1520 minutes.

One the evidence of your faith. Notice the word faith.

I wonder did you count them as I did the Bible reading?

I love counting words in the Bible.

It's mentioned five times in this chapter.

Look at verse 2 to establish you and to comfort you concerning

your faith. Verse 5.

I sent to know your faith verse 6 and brought us good tidings of

your faith and charity verse 7 by your faith.

That's how they were comforted and look with me at verse 10.

He says that we might see your face and might perfect that

which is lacking in your faith. Now five times, five in biblical

numerics. That's the number of grace and

these dear folks and theft, Alanka, they had tasted the

grace of God. How do I know they were saved?

Well, he writes to them. Look at verse 7.

Therefore, brethren, they were part of God's family.

God was their heavenly Father, Christ was their Saviour.

They were born of this birth. These were true believers, born

again of the Holy Spirit and Washington, the blood of Christ.

They profess faith in Christ. See, we'll ask the question how

can 11 month year old church be spiritually strong that they

didn't have the Bible, the New Testament that we have.

They had no full time minister. They perhaps did have Old

Testament scriptures. They had no fancy church

building to meet in. There were in a thriving town.

It was a a commercial tort. Remember Thessalonanka?

But it was full of opposition. It was full of persecution.

They, they experienced trials and troubles.

You, you, you think of a, a town where there's idolatry and

iniquity and insurrection. And it's, it's spurred on by

unbelieving Jews who should know better.

And yet that the devil is the back of it.

And we'd asked what's the litmus test here for this church to be

spiritually strong? And the answer was this.

They had a true and genuine faith in Christ.

What is faith? Sure, the Catechism 86 gives the

answer to what is faith in Jesus Christ?

Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive

and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He has freely

offered to us in the Gospel. The Bible exhorts us to have

faith in God. The Bible exhorts us.

Ephesians 289 For by grace are you saved.

Hi, through faith, for by greasy you see it through faith which

is not of yourselves. It's not an inherent to us.

It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should

boast. Hebrews 611 and six says, But

without faith it is impossible to please Him.

He that cometh to God must believe that He is and rewarder

of them that diligently seek Him.

What is faith? I like to do the acrostic for

seeking all I trust Him, or will change it for seeking all I take

Him. See, you can receive Him, and

you can rest alone on Him. The big question is this.

Do you have faith in Christ? Remember the parable of the

sore, Matthew 13, Luke chapter 8.

Luke 8 · chapter mention

Four types of soil. And those four types of soil

represent four types of responses of the human heart to

the Word of God. Remember the wayside ground.

The wayside is hard, the seed falls on top of the ground.

And what did the Lord Jesus tell us there in the Gospel of

Matthew, in Matthew chapter 13 and in the verse four, He told

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

us this Matthew chapter 13 and in the verse 4.

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the

fowls came and divoured them up. You can just get the picture.

Now what did that mean? Well, he then went on to give

the interpretation. Matthew chapter 13, verse 19,

Matthew 13:19

verse 18. When hear ye, therefore the

parable of the sword, when anyone heareth the word of the

Kingdom and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one.

That's a reference to the devil, and catches away that which was

sown in his heart. This is he which received word

by the wayside. And if we explore that a wee bit

more, we read in Luke chapter 8 and verse 12.

Luke 8 · chapter mention

These particular words, those by the way said are they that hear

then cometh the devil and taketh away the word out of their

hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

Think of the Stony ground. Someone receives the word with

joy. They're excited.

I've got a message from God. Wonderful.

And the, the, the, the green shoots appear in the ground and

then the sun arises. Trials and troubles come.

Persecution comes and they're offended.

It's too hard. They're not willing for a life

of self denial, not willing to suffer for the gospel's sake,

not not like Paul, not willing to labour in a hard, lonely

place like Athens for a time. They're not prepared to go

without so that others have. I've known believers to give up

their dinner. I've known believers to not go

on holiday and give the money to the Lord's work.

They've seen it as a privilege. Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones, you

remember, was a medical practitioner.

Give it up to become a minister of the gospel.

And before he came into the ministry, he gave the money that

he had to his poor mother. CT Stud was a millionaire, a

great cricketer and he gave it all up for the honour and glory

of Christ. What type of hearer are you?

A wayside hearer, Stony ground hearer, A thorny ground hearer

is someone again who receives the word with joy.

But the riches of this world, the pleasures of this life, the

cares of this life, they, they choke.

The word love for Christ is crowded out.

What is evident is not a love for the Saviour, but a love for

self. They don't really love the

Saviour. Oh, the Saviour's there, but

he's in the background. They have no genuine love for

Him, or for the Saints, or the souls of man, or the Sabbath of

the sanctuary. They have no deep love for the

Scriptures of truth. That's the thorny ground hearer.

And isn't there many thorny ground hearers who profess to

know and love Christ? What about a good ground hearer?

They receive the Word, but they bring forth fruit thirtyfold,

sixtyfold, and 100. You see, the good soil always

brings forth some for it, not the same fruit, but some for it.

There's no good soil is without fruit, and we're talking about

the fruit of the Spirit here. The good ground hearer always

brings forth fruit. If he's born of the Spirit, he

will manifest at to some degree the fruit of the Spirit.

Remember what it says there in the book of Galatians.

In Galatians chapter 5 and verse 22, it says this.

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

But the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, peace, long-suffering,

gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

Against such there is no law and those that have true and genuine

faith that is produced as a gift of God by the Spirit in the new

birth. You see, these individuals were

truly converted. They were good ground hearers.

So I asked this question, are you truly converted?

This morning is the real genuine evidence of true faith in your

life. You've tasted the grace of God

and the nature of your faith is it's real because you've got

this fruit of the Spirit and you may have it to some degree,

others have it to a large degree, but at least you, you

have it manifested. You've received Christ, you

rested him alone for salvation and that faith is real.

And here's the evidence, at least in part.

There's some fruit that you're bringing forth, it seemed to the

glory of God very quickly. Not only the evidence of your

faith, but think about the establishment of your faith.

If you go back to Thessalonians here, what does Paul say when he

sent Timotheus to establish you and to comfort you concerning

your faith? You see in Thessalonica, the

people of God had to endure 3 things in particular.

Let me tell you what they were. They had to endure afflictions.

Look at verse three, that no man should be moved by these

afflictions for yourselves. Know that ye are appointed there

unto you. And then they had to endure

tribulation. That was part of the affliction.

Verse 4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before

that we should suffer tribulation even as it came to

pass. And ye know now sometimes when

we read the word tribulation, we think about the tribulation of

the end times. That's part of this, but only a

little tiny part, and I'll explain it in a moment.

These tribulations had an impact and an effect upon their faith,

and then they also had to endure temptations.

Look at verse 5 For this cause. When I can no longer for bear, I

sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have

tempted you and our labour being vain.

Paul knew that these three things were serious.

He knew that it would impact and affect their faith.

And remember, the devil does his best to stop the people of God

not only getting saved, but he does his best to stop the people

of God going on with God, going through with God.

The devil is out today to try and to destroy our faith in

Christ. Not only the faith that we

believe in, but the faith that we enjoy and experience by the

new birth. And here's what he uses.

They listen to me very carefully.

He uses afflictions, verse 2-3, that no man should be moved by

these afflictions. That's a reference to trials and

troubles. Now listen to me carefully.

Trials and troubles are part of our lives.

The Bible says in Job 14 verse one man that is born of woman is

a few days and full of trouble. As the sparks fly upward, see

there's a day of trouble comes to us all.

I remember one time sitting in Coleraine in the town hall.

I think it was the second or third time I'd heard the late

Pastor Willie Mullen preach. Place was packed by the time I

got there. You know where they brought me?

Up into the front, right up into the stage, 3 feet from Willie

Mullen's feet. And I'm a young believer.

And this fiery wee man preached, and he preached in the power and

anointing of the Spirit. And his text was Nahum One and

seven. I never forgot it.

The Lord is a stronghold in the death trouble and knoweth then

that trusteth in him. And he talked about the death

trouble and he said there's a day of trouble comes to us all.

Young man, there's a day of trouble.

Young woman at middle age, there's a day of trouble coming.

The old and the infirm, there's a day of trouble coming.

And he applied that by the grace of God, the day of trouble comes

to us all. It's common to all men.

We're born to trouble. Many are the afflictions of the

righteous and when no one experienced the problems and

pressures of life. Battling illness, breakdown and

relationships, loss of job, tears, heartache, death,

calamity. I had a calamity this week for

for Lily lay down and had to go back into the garage again.

And I I I'm at a loss as to what happened.

But there was an unmerciful bang in battling the hench when I was

going in to see the Spears. And you see in these things the

devil comes and whispers in your ear.

Is this the real Christian life? I thought the Christian life was

supposed to make things better. The Christian life was supposed

to solve problems. How can you be in trials and

troubles? How can you have these tears and

you're running down your face? Remember, they're part and

parcel of God's sovereign will for our lives.

They're not accidents, Paul says here in verse 3.

For you yourselves know that we are appointed there unto you.

Think of the word appointed. They're all part and parcel of

God's will for our lives, because God has a plan and

purpose, even in trials and troubles, to to strengthen us,

to help us, not to be better, but to be blessed.

Notice verse 4. Here's another thing.

The devil uses tribulation. This is to do with intense

persecution and pressure to quit the Christian life, to give up

some aspect of our Christian faith, to give up some aspect of

our Christian principles. See, he comes and he says you're

only suffering this because you're a Christian.

You're only suffering this because of your Christian

convictions. If you give it all up, you're

not going to be persecuted, you'll not be harassed, you'll

not be agitated, you'll not be ridiculed, you'll not be mocked,

you'll not be laughed at. See, that's another lie of the

devil. This is what we have to endure

because the Lord Jesus said in John 16 verse 33, in the world

John 16:33

you should have tribulation, but be of good cheer.

I have overcome the world. We we should expect to suffer

persecution and opposition and not be surprised.

There's been some serious tribulation in the periods of

the Christian Church. You see, in Thessalonica, like

in Jerusalem, some members had even been murdered, some had

been imprisoned for their faith. I think it's 4476.

Open Doors have reported in 2024 that were martyred for the crown

rites and covenant of King Jesus.

You only have to think of the murder of the late Charlie Cook.

Pray for his wife Erica and family.

Regardless of what anybody says that that would be the right and

proper and Christian thing to do, wouldn't it?

See, if you live a godly life, you live for God.

You should display a love to God.

Display a likeness to God in Jesus Christ.

Your life, your love, your living is a rebuke to ungodly

people, an ungodly world. And they don't like it and they

react. And here's one way they react

with persecution and opposition. And this time of Paul's writing,

it was a time of intense persecution.

And the nature of this persecution, while it's

connected to the end times, it's not really the the great day of

tribulation that's to come, but it's connected.

The nature of this tribulation is this.

It's pressure to quit, pressure to compromise your Christian

principles and your Christian convictions.

And that's true for the individual Christian.

That's true for the individual church.

They hate Christ and the gospel and through persecution, God's

people can get discouraged and defeated and and despair and

even drop out. And that's exactly what a anti

God world system wants to do. We live in an ungodly world with

a, an ungodly political agenda and there there's a crackdown

on, on Christian conduct. And it's all designed to stop

the Christian to shut his mouth and to stop the church and to

pressurise it out of existence to, to squeeze the life out of

it. That that's really what the

tribulation's about. And young people at school and

the university, in the workplace, you've got peer

pressure. And that peer pressure comes

from the spirit of Antichrist. And the strategy is to get you

to conform and live like them. Be a boozer, be be a a drug

addict, be be an ungodly person dressed like the world.

That's what the peer pressure is all about.

This is like a pressure cooker. Notice thirdly, here he uses

this as well. Temptations, the temp.

There comes subtle temptations. As I've said, he uses trials and

troubles, uses persecution and opposition.

Pressure raises us to quit. He comes as a subtle serpent.

It comes like a roaring lion. It comes as an Angel of light

and he does great damage. Remember, he tempted Jesus

Christ, the Son of God. See, behind all the evil

suggestions that come into your heart and mind is the devil.

They're all like fiery darts and they're real, and they're

directed to the child of God, and the child of God has to

endure them. But the child of God in them can

be established in his faith. See, no worldly pressure is

going to lead them or no worldly pressure is going to lead to

anything good for the Christian or for the Christian Church.

And what we face is designed to destroy the church and creates

havoc. Here's the warfare that Paul

exposes. We've got an enemy called the

tempter, and he accuses us. He's the accuser of the

brethren. His accusations are false.

And in the midst of it all, God uses these things to establish

us, to strengthen our faith. See, if we're a good ground

hearer with a genuine faith, we'll be faithful.

We will also be fruitful even in the midst of all that's going on

in my life. What did Paul say?

He said this. Look again at verse three, that

no man should be moved. You know what that word moved

means? It means to be wagged away.

See, at times the devil doesn't come with fierceness.

He comes with flattery. The devil gets the world's

enemies to pretend to be our true friends with with smooth

words. And what he's saying is don't

let the devil tribulation, temptation, or even trials and

troubles. Don't let the devil hoodwinky.

The word established here has to do with a buttress.

Think of a Boeing wall. It's wobbling, it's in danger of

falling, and a buttress, whether it's steel or wood, is put up

against the wall to shore it up and the wall is strengthened and

supported. But that's the picture.

Our faith has been strengthened and supported by the butlers of

the word of God. Romans 10 and 17.

Faith come by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Think of a another illustration. Think of a sapling of a tree.

A lot of wind yesterday and the sapling of the tree needs a

stake. And you, you tie the stake and

the tree together and the stake holds the tree upright and it

gives us a better chance for the roots to go down into the ground

and for the little tree to grow. In other words, it's, it's

fixed. The word of God will build us

up. Don't be discouraged by these

things. We have to endure them.

Expect trials and troubles. Expect persecution, an

opposition, expect the fiery darts of the devil.

We're in a warm in a war. Don't be alarmed.

Have a sense of peace even in the midst of the storms of life.

For these storms are not from the hand of God in a sense to

weaken you or to destroy you, not to break you, but they're

actually designed to strengthen you.

Remember Paul says this in Ephesians and Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

4, and he tells us this in the verse 14.

Ephesians 4 and 14. Listen to these words, Ephesians

4 and 14. He tells us that we henceforth

be no more children, tossed to and fro when carried about with

every wind of doctrine by the sleight of man and cunning

craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

We're not to be tossed about. We're not to be taken in.

We're to be fixed. I finish with this where time

has gone, the expression of your faith.

We, we live in an ungodly world. You'll agree with that.

You'll agree that it's hard in the 21st century in a true sense

to confess Christ, to break the news that you're saved, that you

go along to a Bible believing church.

You tell someone, you go to the Free Presbyterian Church and

carried off. They probably rolled their eyes

at you, but you're there to maintain a witness.

See, See. Many have stopped witnessing.

Many have stopped worshipping. Many have decided to stay at

home because they've forgotten that we're in a spiritual war.

And these are appointed and appointed by God and all the

help and grace that we need is appointed by God.

God will not appoint trials and troubles and tribulation and,

and, and, and the tempter to come and tempt us without also

appointing a way of a scheme, but without appointing help.

And that's where the word of God comes in.

We're to receive the Word with meekness, but we're to resist

the wicked one. We're not just to memorise the

Word. Memorisation is important.

We're not just to observe the Word and the reading and the

study of it is also very important, but we're to have an

experimental learning of the Word, so much so that we're

we're leaning upon it. I remember speaking to a man in

hospital one time that I was visiting someone else and he

turned out it was a believer. He's from the assemblies in the

Gospel Hall. Thank God for the Gospel Hall,

men and women and young people. And this is what he said.

I was brought low pastor, but he helped me.

You see, what was that man doing?

He he hadn't just memorised the Scripture.

He wasn't just observing it. He he was experimentally leaning

upon that word and that brought him tremendous comfort.

Timothy brought tremendous comfort.

He was sent as a helper. He he went as a brother.

He was saved. He went as a fellow minister

because he was saved. He served, he went as a fellow

labourer. He he sacrificed so that the

Church of God could benefit and be enriched.

If you're saved, I call upon you to serve the Lord.

If you're saved, I call upon you to sacrifice.

Live a life of self denial. Do everything you can for the

welfare of the work of God. Souls are in need.

Souls are in danger of Hellfire and perishing.

We need boldness, we need courage.

So rather than staying at home and hiding away and refusing to

witness and refusing to worship and refusing to work, I, I thank

you for coming today. I bless you for being in the

House of God. Let's go out into this ungodly

world and let's express our faith and say we be Christ, and

it's Christ for me, only Christ for me.

Are you fixed in your faith? Is there evidence that it's

real? Is it being established through

these things? And are you willing to express

it? See, these people express their

faith to Timothy. They don't want to say it, but

he's seen it. And he brought back a good

report. And what did Paul say?

Paul said this as I finished first Thessalonians 3 and seven.

Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you and all our

affliction and distress by your faith.

There's nothing gladdens the heart of a pastor to see true

and genuine faith in the people of God the Lord.

Take these few words. Bless them to you as I have

tried with the help of God to deliver this.