Sermon

Your Faith Has Become Known Everywhere

Maranatha Baptist Church of Columbus, OH - Latest Messages

Open publisher episode ↗

Publisher transcript

Transcript

View source ↗
  1. Good morning.

  2. It is an honor and a privilege to be here this morning.

  3. !

  4. Imagine that you had come to Hilliard to start a church.

  5. So you come to Hilliard and your plan is to share Jesus with some people and see them believe and start a new church.

  6. And you start by going to Walmart to buy some gum.

  7. It's always good to have fresh breath when you're going to start a church.

  8. And so you go into Walmart and you're buying your gum.

  9. You're talking to your cashier, Susan, and making some small talk with her.

  10. And finally you say, you know, Susan, do you know anything about Jesus?

  11. And much to your surprise, her eyes light up and she says, yeah, yeah.

  12. You know what?

  13. I've heard all about what Jesus is doing at Maranatha Baptist Church.

  14. And it really has motivated me to try and find out more.

  15. I bought a Bible and I've been reading it.

  16. And you're kind of taken back.

  17. You didn't think it would go that way, but you're happy.

  18. And, you know, you finish talking with her.

  19. You say, you know, that's great, Susan.

  20. I'll be praying for you.

  21. I'm glad to hear that.

  22. And so you leave there and you go over to Starbucks.

  23. And you sit down at Starbucks with your vanilla bean frappuccino.

  24. And you're kind of sizing up the room, think, okay, I could probably meet some people here.

  25. And there's a group in the back sitting around a table.

  26. And you're kind of eavesdropping in on them.

  27. And they're talking about Maranatha Baptist Church and what God's doing there.

  28. You're kind of listening in.

  29. You think, this is interesting, two times in a row.

  30. But then a lady gets up from a table at the front of the store and walks back there and says,

  31. Hey, you know what?

  32. That's nothing.

  33. Let me tell you this story that a friend of mine who goes to Maranatha was sharing about what God was doing there.

  34. Again, you're delightfully surprised.

  35. And you think, well, that's great.

  36. That's great news.

  37. So you leave there and you head out to the gas station.

  38. You've got to get gas.

  39. You're trying to share with the cashier there.

  40. And she starts talking about what God's doing at Maranatha.

  41. Okay?

  42. You go to a park.

  43. Well, maybe not a park in the winter.

  44. But you go and you sit down.

  45. You're trying to share.

  46. They're talking about Maranatha.

  47. You're kind of surprised.

  48. You go by one of the high schools and you're talking to some students as they're getting out of class.

  49. And they're talking about what God's doing at Maranatha.

  50. You think, well, praise the Lord.

  51. Guess Hilliard's okay.

  52. You head down to Galloway and you're trying to share with people there.

  53. And they're talking about what Jesus is doing at Maranatha Baptist Church.

  54. Go to Lincoln Village.

  55. People are talking about Maranatha.

  56. Go to Grove City.

  57. And people there are talking about what God's doing at Maranatha.

  58. You think, okay, I just got to move out a little further.

  59. You go out to Plain City and to Marysville, to Delaware.

  60. And all of those places, everyone you engage and start talking to them about Jesus says,

  61. I've heard what Jesus is doing at Maranatha Baptist Church.

  62. I mean, that would be awesome.

  63. Wouldn't that be awesome?

  64. That would be amazing.

  65. I mean, the truth is, as long as Maranatha has been here such a long time,

  66. it would be amazing still to see that kind of influence pervading all of the people,

  67. even in the surrounding area.

  68. But yet, what if Maranatha was just a new church?

  69. Let's say a year old.

  70. How amazing would that be to see God working in that way?

  71. And that's exactly what we're going to see in 1 Thessalonians this morning.

  72. But before we begin, would you join me and let's pray.

  73. Heavenly Father, we come to you.

  74. And Father, we ask for your grace.

  75. Lord, I pray that you would direct this time,

  76. that you would have me speak your words,

  77. that your spirit would come and dwell among us.

  78. You would minister your word to our lives,

  79. that you would challenge us, that you would convict us.

  80. You would encourage us,

  81. and that you would compel us to be more like Christ.

  82. Father, we confess if you do not move in power,

  83. then our time will be spent in vain.

  84. So we just ask, we beg you, please,

  85. to do a work that Christ might be exalted,

  86. and we might love you as we should.

  87. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

  88. If you want to turn to 1 Thessalonians 1,

  89. that's what we're going to look at.

  90. If you're using one of the Bibles here,

  91. it's page 986.

  92. Page 986.

  93. 1 Thessalonians 1.

  94. And as you're doing that,

  95. let me give you a little background information.

  96. Paul and Silas were in Philippi,

  97. and you probably remember,

  98. as things went in Philippi,

  99. you know, God was working,

  100. everybody got upset,

  101. they got thrown in jail,

  102. and you remember the Philippian jailer,

  103. his household comes to Christ,

  104. and then finally Paul and Silas get let out of jail,

  105. and the brothers and sisters in Philippi

  106. urged them to leave,

  107. and so they do, they leave,

  108. and when they leave there,

  109. they end up in Thessalonica.

  110. Now, at that time,

  111. Thessalonica is the largest city in Macedonia.

  112. They estimate about 200,000 people.

  113. I don't know how they know that,

  114. but about 200,000 people at that time,

  115. and the majority of those people are Greek,

  116. and a large population of Romans,

  117. but even there,

  118. a strong minority of Jews are also living there,

  119. and as Paul normally does,

  120. he comes in,

  121. and Acts 17, 2 says that for three Sabbaths,

  122. he's ministering to the Jews.

  123. So some people think Paul's ministry in Thessalonica

  124. was only three weeks.

  125. Other people say,

  126. no, no,

  127. that probably was just his ministry to the Jews,

  128. but you know how he is.

  129. He goes to the Jews first,

  130. then he goes to the Gentiles,

  131. so, you know,

  132. maybe he was there longer,

  133. but the bottom line is,

  134. everybody agrees he was in Thessalonica

  135. a short time,

  136. several weeks,

  137. several months,

  138. but again,

  139. as God moves,

  140. and the church is started,

  141. the Jews get jealous,

  142. and then persecution begins again,

  143. and the church encourages them to leave.

  144. So Paul and Silas leave,

  145. they travel on from there,

  146. ending up in Corinth,

  147. and in Corinth,

  148. and in Corinth,

  149. eventually,

  150. sometime later,

  151. Timothy comes and meets them in Corinth,

  152. and brings a report to them about the church in Thessalonica,

  153. and after he gives them that report,

  154. how the church is still facing persecution,

  155. and what's going on with them,

  156. Paul writes this letter back to the church at Thessalonica,

  157. and so that's the background of what's happening,

  158. is Paul writes to them,

  159. to this young church,

  160. in the middle of persecution,

  161. and if you would,

  162. follow along,

  163. I'm going to read to you,

  164. really the whole first chapter,

  165. starting in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1,

    1 Thessalonians 1 chapter mention

  166. starting with verse 1,

  167. and it says,

  168. Paul,

  169. Silvanus,

  170. and Timothy,

  171. to the church of the Thessalonians,

  172. and God,

  173. the Father,

  174. and the Lord Jesus Christ,

  175. grace to you,

  176. and peace.

  177. We give thanks to God always,

  178. for all of you,

  179. constantly mentioning you in our prayers,

  180. remembering before our God and Father,

  181. your work of faith,

  182. and labor of love,

  183. and steadfastness of hope,

  184. in our Lord Jesus Christ.

  185. For we know,

  186. brothers loved by God,

  187. that he has chosen you,

  188. because our gospel came to you,

  189. not only in word,

  190. but also in power,

  191. and in the Holy Spirit,

  192. and with full conviction.

  193. You know what kind of men we prove to be among you,

  194. for your sake.

  195. And you became imitators of us,

  196. and of the Lord,

  197. for you received the word in much affliction,

  198. with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

  199. so that you became an example,

  200. to all the believers in Macedonia,

  201. and Achaia.

  202. And for not only has the word of the Lord

  203. sounded forth from you into Macedonia and Achaia,

  204. but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere,

  205. so that we need not say anything.

  206. For they themselves report concerning us

  207. the kind of reception we had among you,

  208. and how you turned to God from idols,

  209. to serve the living and true God,

  210. and to wait for his Son from heaven,

  211. whom he raised from the dead,

  212. Jesus,

  213. who delivers us from the wrath to come.

  214. So did you catch it?

  215. Did you see it in there?

  216. Paul talking about this church,

  217. this young church,

  218. and he says,

  219. you've become examples to all the believers

  220. in Macedonia and Achaia.

  221. Now, Macedonia,

  222. just to give you kind of a frame of reference,

  223. is about the same mass,

  224. land mass size,

  225. maybe as the state of Vermont,

  226. a little bigger than that.

  227. And so,

  228. he's saying,

  229. you've become an example to all of them,

  230. but also,

  231. notice he says,

  232. the word of the Lord

  233. sounded forth from them

  234. into Macedonia and Achaia,

  235. and that everybody has heard

  236. about the faith in God.

  237. So Paul's trying to share with them,

  238. trying to talk to these new people

  239. about what God's doing

  240. and Thessalonica,

  241. and they're saying,

  242. no, wait, wait, no,

  243. we know,

  244. we know how this story ends.

  245. We've heard.

  246. And so Paul is encouraging them.

  247. And in short,

  248. what we see

  249. is this young church

  250. has already made

  251. an eternal impact

  252. on its community

  253. and on really

  254. much of the known world

  255. at that time.

  256. The gospel's spreading out from them.

  257. Well, if you're like me,

  258. at this point

  259. in the story,

  260. you start going,

  261. wow.

  262. Wow,

  263. how is that happening?

  264. How is this young church

  265. making such a big impact?

  266. How are they having such influence?

  267. And that's what we're going to look at.

  268. I think we see here

  269. in verses 2 and 3,

  270. Paul lay out for us

  271. three characteristics

  272. that God was using

  273. for them to impact eternally

  274. their surrounding community

  275. and country.

  276. Look at verses 2 and 3 again.

  277. It says,

  278. we give thanks to God always

  279. for all of you,

  280. constantly mentioning you

  281. in our prayers,

  282. remembering before our God

  283. and Father

  284. your work of faith,

  285. your labor of love,

  286. and steadfastness of hope

  287. in our Lord Jesus Christ.

  288. And those are the three key points

  289. that I think Paul's bringing up here

  290. and in many ways

  291. lays out the outline

  292. for the rest of the book

  293. of 1 Thessalonians.

  294. He talks about their work of faith,

  295. their labor of love,

  296. and their steadfastness of hope

  297. in Jesus Christ.

  298. And let's look at these three things.

  299. First, the work of faith.

  300. The work of faith.

  301. I think we see a picture

  302. of what Paul is referring to

  303. lower in the chapter

  304. where he talks about

  305. in verses 4 through 6.

  306. We know, brothers,

  307. loved by God,

  308. He's chosen you

  309. because our gospel came to you

  310. not only in word

  311. but in power

  312. and in the Holy Spirit

  313. with full conviction

  314. that you knew

  315. what kind of men

  316. we proved to be among you

  317. for your sake,

  318. you became imitators of us

  319. and of the Lord

  320. for you received the word

  321. in much affliction

  322. with joy of the Holy Spirit.

  323. We see his talking here

  324. is reminding them

  325. of how they had heard

  326. the truth about Jesus

  327. but that not only

  328. had they heard it

  329. but they believed it.

  330. That in faith

  331. they accepted

  332. what Paul had told them

  333. about Christ

  334. and grasped onto it.

  335. They held to it in faith.

  336. And if we look down

  337. in chapter 2

  338. he says it a different way.

  339. Chapter 2 verse 13

  340. says,

  341. We also thank God

  342. constantly for this

  343. that when you received

  344. the word of God

  345. which you heard from us

  346. you accepted it

  347. not as the word of men

  348. but as what it really is.

  349. The word of God

  350. which is at work

  351. and you believers.

  352. And so this work of faith

  353. he talks about

  354. this first step is

  355. they had heard

  356. the word of God

  357. and they'd received it

  358. in faith.

  359. They believed it.

  360. You know they had no

  361. definite assurances.

  362. They just had to accept

  363. in faith

  364. what the Holy Spirit

  365. was bringing about

  366. in power in their lives.

  367. And they believed

  368. what God had said.

  369. They believed

  370. who Jesus was.

  371. But not only

  372. do they believe it

  373. it's not an intellectual pursuit

  374. but you remember

  375. in verse 6

  376. it said

  377. you became imitators

  378. of us

  379. and of the Lord.

  380. They just

  381. weren't saying

  382. oh yeah

  383. I think

  384. you know

  385. Jesus

  386. son of God

  387. I think that's true.

  388. No

  389. they had accepted it

  390. in faith

  391. such that it was

  392. changing how they lived.

  393. They were walking

  394. in obedience to it.

  395. And

  396. in verse 9

  397. it said

  398. they themselves

  399. report concerning us

  400. the kind of reception

  401. we had among you

  402. how you turn to God

  403. from idols

  404. to serve

  405. the living

  406. and true God.

  407. You know

  408. their acceptance

  409. in faith

  410. was changing

  411. how they lived

  412. their lives.

  413. It wasn't just

  414. an intellectual knowledge

  415. it wasn't just

  416. doctrine

  417. it was about life.

  418. Their theology

  419. their beliefs

  420. about God

  421. was compelling

  422. them to live

  423. in a certain way.

  424. If we look down

  425. in chapter 4

  426. verse 1

  427. Paul says it

  428. this way

  429. finally then

  430. brothers

  431. we ask

  432. and urge you

  433. in the Lord Jesus

  434. that as you receive

  435. from us

  436. how you ought to walk

  437. and to please God

  438. just as you are doing

  439. that you do so

  440. more and more.

  441. So this work of faith

  442. hearing the good news

  443. about Jesus

  444. hearing all that

  445. Paul was teaching them

  446. from the word of God

  447. and believing it

  448. accepting it in faith

  449. and living it out

  450. is this picture we have

  451. where he says

  452. I remember

  453. the work of faith

  454. among you.

  455. Now that brings me

  456. to the first point

  457. of application.

  458. The first point

  459. of application

  460. is this

  461. has there been

  462. a work of faith

  463. in your life?

  464. Has there been

  465. a work of faith

  466. in your life?

  467. Now most importantly

  468. have you believed

  469. what the Bible says

  470. about Jesus?

  471. Have you turned

  472. from your self-centered life

  473. and set your heart

  474. on living in a way

  475. that honors him?

  476. You see

  477. the Bible is

  478. very clear.

  479. There is a God.

  480. He's the creator

  481. and the sustainer

  482. of all things

  483. and your sinful

  484. self-centered heart

  485. that you were born with

  486. and the selfish way

  487. you have lived your life

  488. has shattered

  489. your relationship

  490. with the God

  491. who made you.

  492. But God

  493. in his grace

  494. and his mercy

  495. and his love

  496. has made a way

  497. to forgive you

  498. and restore

  499. or renew

  500. that relationship

  501. with you

  502. through Jesus.

  503. Now this

  504. this new life

  505. in Christ

  506. this new life

  507. through Jesus

  508. is a free gift.

  509. There's nothing

  510. you can do

  511. to earn it.

  512. There's no way

  513. you can do anything

  514. to deserve

  515. this new life

  516. but it also

  517. costs you everything.

  518. You see

  519. you have to be willing

  520. to give up

  521. your self-centered life

  522. and live a life

  523. that's focused

  524. on reflecting

  525. Jesus' love

  526. and grace

  527. and mercy

  528. and beauty.

  529. Now of course

  530. if you truly know Jesus

  531. it's a decision

  532. that you're more

  533. than willing

  534. to make.

  535. you know

  536. the first step

  537. towards making

  538. an eternal impact

  539. is realizing

  540. the universe

  541. isn't all about you.

  542. You know

  543. and let me

  544. just add

  545. a loving warning

  546. at the end of this

  547. if you choose

  548. to not make Jesus

  549. the center

  550. of your life now

  551. if you prefer

  552. to live your life

  553. without Jesus

  554. now

  555. God will give you

  556. what you want.

  557. You can have life

  558. without Jesus now

  559. but you will also

  560. have eternity

  561. without Jesus

  562. after you die.

  563. So you won't

  564. be looking forward

  565. to heaven

  566. spending eternity

  567. with him

  568. but only towards

  569. having to face

  570. the eternal wrath

  571. of God.

  572. So if you haven't

  573. had this experience

  574. if you haven't

  575. had a life changing

  576. experience with Jesus

  577. don't leave

  578. here today

  579. without talking

  580. to somebody around you

  581. or to one of the pastors

  582. or to me.

  583. You know

  584. there's no better way

  585. to start a new year

  586. than with a new life.

  587. So please

  588. please hear me.

  589. That's the first

  590. important question

  591. to ask.

  592. Now assuming

  593. you have had

  594. this new experience

  595. this new life

  596. that you've received

  597. in faith

  598. what the Bible

  599. says about Jesus

  600. the next question is

  601. are you an imitator

  602. of Christ?

  603. And if you are

  604. an imitator of Christ

  605. in this coming year

  606. what's your plan

  607. to become

  608. a better imitator

  609. of Christ?

  610. or as it says

  611. in chapter 4

  612. how are you going

  613. to live

  614. or walk in a way

  615. pleasing to God

  616. and do so more

  617. and more

  618. in this coming year?

  619. Now the only way

  620. I know

  621. to be a better

  622. imitator of Christ

  623. is spending time

  624. with Him.

  625. And I'm

  626. going to

  627. make a confession

  628. to you guys

  629. you might as well

  630. know this now

  631. sometimes when I'm

  632. studying I kind of

  633. get caught

  634. on a rabbit trail

  635. and I go off

  636. and something

  637. sparks my thinking

  638. and I read

  639. some more on it

  640. and as I was

  641. reading about this

  642. I kind of started

  643. thinking about

  644. Elvis impersonators.

  645. I know you might

  646. not see the connection

  647. but you're talking

  648. about imitating

  649. and you know

  650. and so I started

  651. reading on that

  652. what does it take

  653. to be a good

  654. impersonator?

  655. And there's really

  656. a lot of information

  657. out there

  658. if you need to know

  659. but I'm just

  660. going to give you

  661. one quote

  662. that I thought

  663. was a good summary

  664. of the things

  665. I read.

  666. This was the

  667. expert advice

  668. on being an

  669. impersonator.

  670. It said

  671. listen to recordings

  672. obtain recordings

  673. of those celebrities

  674. and public figures

  675. you are learning

  676. to impersonate.

  677. If possible

  678. watch videos

  679. to learn mannerisms

  680. listen for tone

  681. and inflections

  682. in specific words.

  683. keep practicing.

  684. Becoming an impersonator

  685. takes repeated practice.

  686. Try out new voices

  687. to determine

  688. which ones

  689. sound the most authentic.

  690. Record

  691. and listen to yourself

  692. and to your impersonations

  693. to determine

  694. what areas

  695. you need to work on.

  696. Now folks

  697. if it takes

  698. that much work

  699. to become

  700. an Elvis impersonator

  701. how much more

  702. work

  703. should we be

  704. putting into

  705. being imitators

  706. of Christ?

  707. How much more

  708. should we be

  709. spending time

  710. listening to him

  711. studying him

  712. looking at how

  713. is our life

  714. a reflection of him?

  715. What areas

  716. do we need to change?

  717. What is it that we're saying

  718. that's not a proper

  719. imitation of him?

  720. What is it we're doing

  721. that is not a reflection

  722. of his love

  723. and his grace

  724. and his beauty?

  725. And how should we be

  726. laboring

  727. to become

  728. a clear reflection

  729. of Christ?

  730. And so this year

  731. as things are starting

  732. you know

  733. I'm sure you guys

  734. have already thought

  735. through this

  736. it's a good time

  737. to start a new

  738. Bible reading plan

  739. you know

  740. read through the Bible

  741. this year

  742. or you know

  743. start a new

  744. prayer journal

  745. start a new time

  746. you know

  747. your old time

  748. for spending time

  749. with Jesus

  750. wasn't good

  751. maybe you need to

  752. change your schedule

  753. some

  754. and I'm confident

  755. you've thought

  756. through those things

  757. but let me challenge

  758. you to step further

  759. than that

  760. and realize

  761. it's not just

  762. about checking

  763. the box

  764. off of your

  765. Bible reading schedule

  766. it's about being

  767. with Jesus

  768. you see

  769. you want to be

  770. in his presence

  771. you want to take

  772. time with him

  773. you want to make sure

  774. just like the other

  775. relationships in your life

  776. that it's a priority

  777. to spend time

  778. listening

  779. talking

  780. intimately with him

  781. with his word

  782. with his people

  783. you know

  784. it makes perfect sense

  785. if I talked about

  786. my relationship

  787. with my wife

  788. and that

  789. you know

  790. this new year

  791. I've worked out a plan

  792. I'm going to spend

  793. 30 minutes a day

  794. I'm going to sit down

  795. with my wife

  796. I'm going to tell her

  797. what I need

  798. I'm going to ask her

  799. if she needs anything

  800. maybe we can have

  801. some quick conversation

  802. and then I'm

  803. going to check that off

  804. did wife today

  805. done

  806. there would be

  807. some discussion

  808. about that

  809. in my house

  810. okay

  811. but so often

  812. that's how we approach

  813. this work of faith

  814. is that we can just

  815. schedule it

  816. and check it off

  817. and we don't take

  818. the time

  819. like Jesus

  820. is a live

  821. living person

  822. and coming into

  823. his presence

  824. and being with him

  825. so this year

  826. let me challenge you

  827. you know

  828. the first thing to do

  829. if you want to

  830. impact eternity

  831. is be with Jesus

  832. accept his word

  833. and faith

  834. and let it change

  835. who you are

  836. that's the first point

  837. the second thing

  838. that we see Paul

  839. say here is

  840. he remembers

  841. the church at

  842. Thessalonica's

  843. labor of love

  844. labor of love

  845. now

  846. I want you to

  847. turn with me

  848. to this passage

  849. I think it's one of

  850. the most amazing

  851. descriptions of a church

  852. in the Bible

  853. it's in chapter 4

  854. 1 Thessalonians

    1 Thessalonians 4:9

  855. chapter 4

  856. verses 9 and 10

  857. I just want you

  858. to see it with your own eyes

  859. I'm going to read it

  860. but it's such an amazing

  861. description of the church

  862. I want you to see it

  863. for yourself

  864. okay

  865. 1 Thessalonians

    1 Thessalonians 4:9

  866. chapter 4

  867. verses 9 and 10

  868. it says

  869. wouldn't that be

  870. an amazing thing

  871. to have written

  872. about Maranatha

  873. as far as loving each other

  874. I really don't have

  875. anything to say

  876. from the Apostle Paul

  877. you know

  878. you guys

  879. have been taught

  880. by God

  881. to love one another

  882. just keep going

  883. you're doing it

  884. just keep doing it

  885. more and more

  886. I mean

  887. how amazing is that

  888. when I got to this point

  889. in Thessalonians

  890. I thought

  891. surely

  892. this is the key

  893. surely this

  894. is why

  895. the church

  896. at Thessalonica

  897. was making

  898. such a big impact

  899. because not only

  900. is it talking about

  901. them loving each other

  902. but loving all the

  903. brothers in Macedonia

  904. they just didn't love

  905. their own church

  906. but every opportunity

  907. they were loving

  908. those around them

  909. and

  910. you guys know

  911. John 13

  912. 34 and 35

  913. says

  914. a new commandment

  915. Jesus speaking

  916. a new commandment

  917. I give to you

  918. that you love one another

  919. just as I have loved you

  920. you also are to love

  921. one another

  922. by this all people

  923. will know that you're

  924. my disciples

  925. if you have love

  926. for one another

  927. so it's not really

  928. surprising to think

  929. as the church

  930. at Thessalonica

  931. was loving each other

  932. in such a powerful way

  933. it was impacting

  934. their community

  935. and their world

  936. but I think

  937. we need to stop

  938. and define love

  939. you see

  940. because in our culture

  941. love is a very

  942. loosely

  943. used word

  944. I can love my wife

  945. and I can love my car

  946. and I can love pizza

  947. and if my wife ever thinks

  948. I'm referring to her

  949. in the same manner as pizza

  950. there's going to be

  951. another discussion

  952. right

  953. and so

  954. let's talk about

  955. what does it mean here

  956. when Paul is talking

  957. about their labor of love

  958. I think

  959. the first thing

  960. we can do

  961. to define that

  962. is look at the ways

  963. Paul has loved them

  964. how has Paul shown love

  965. to the church

  966. at Thessalonica

  967. because we know

  968. he's already said

  969. they're imitators of him

  970. and Paul's very clear

  971. in chapter 2 verse 7

  972. Paul describes his love

  973. for them

  974. like a nursing mother

  975. in chapter 2 verse 8

  976. he says

  977. being affectionately

  978. desirous of you

  979. we were ready

  980. to share with you

  981. not only the gospel

  982. of God

  983. but also our own selves

  984. because you had become

  985. very dear to us

  986. chapter 2 verse 11

  987. he says

  988. like a father

  989. with his children

  990. chapter 2 verse 12

  991. he says

  992. we exhorted each of you

  993. and encouraged you

  994. and charged you

  995. to walk in a manner

  996. worthy of God

  997. so we see

  998. Paul is talking about

  999. a very passionate love

  1000. it's very heartfelt

  1001. it's the kind of love

  1002. that explodes out

  1003. like for your children

  1004. but we also see

  1005. Paul talking about

  1006. very practical things

  1007. if we were to turn down

  1008. to chapter 5

  1009. 1 Thessalonians 5

  1010. starting in verse 12

  1011. 1 Thessalonians 5

  1012. 12

  1013. Paul says

  1014. we ask you brothers

  1015. to respect those

  1016. who labor among you

  1017. and are over you

  1018. in the Lord

  1019. and admonish you

  1020. to esteem them

  1021. very highly in love

  1022. because of their work

  1023. be at peace

  1024. among yourselves

  1025. we urge you brothers

  1026. admonish the idle

  1027. encourage the faint hearted

  1028. help the weak

  1029. be patient

  1030. with them all

  1031. see that no one

  1032. repays anyone

  1033. evil for evil

  1034. but always seeks

  1035. to do good

  1036. to one another

  1037. and to everyone

  1038. and so we see

  1039. this description

  1040. of love

  1041. that is both

  1042. passionate

  1043. and practical

  1044. it's not just

  1045. emotional

  1046. see we

  1047. we have a tendency

  1048. in our culture

  1049. to use love

  1050. in that way

  1051. it's a feeling

  1052. you know

  1053. I just

  1054. I have this feeling

  1055. young people

  1056. young people

  1057. have that feeling

  1058. and then they want

  1059. to get married

  1060. because they have

  1061. this feeling

  1062. it is passionate

  1063. but it's also

  1064. very practical

  1065. it's about how

  1066. you live your life

  1067. love is a verb

  1068. it's an action

  1069. and so

  1070. Paul's description

  1071. here

  1072. in talking about

  1073. the church at Thessalonica

  1074. gives us that view

  1075. passionate

  1076. and practical

  1077. love

  1078. and so

  1079. the second point

  1080. of application

  1081. is

  1082. how is your

  1083. labor of love

  1084. how is your

  1085. labor of love

  1086. now

  1087. if you

  1088. are like me

  1089. we'll just

  1090. I'll take all the

  1091. blame in this

  1092. sometimes

  1093. you may think

  1094. and maybe

  1095. even say

  1096. I love them

  1097. I just don't

  1098. like them

  1099. now I'm not

  1100. going to ask

  1101. for a show

  1102. of hands

  1103. but I'll

  1104. confess

  1105. there have

  1106. been times

  1107. in my life

  1108. where I have

  1109. had those

  1110. thoughts

  1111. and probably

  1112. have said

  1113. them out

  1114. loud

  1115. I do that

  1116. often

  1117. I love

  1118. them

  1119. I just

  1120. don't

  1121. like

  1122. them

  1123. and we

  1124. think

  1125. that somehow

  1126. we can

  1127. have this

  1128. intellectual

  1129. love

  1130. for each

  1131. other

  1132. and we're

  1133. fulfilling

  1134. the biblical

  1135. mandate

  1136. what God

  1137. is asking

  1138. of us

  1139. but that's

  1140. not the

  1141. picture

  1142. that we

  1143. see here

  1144. when Paul's

  1145. talking about

  1146. like a nursing

  1147. mother being

  1148. very desirous

  1149. of you

  1150. you know

  1151. there's a

  1152. passion

  1153. it's not

  1154. just

  1155. intellectual

  1156. assent

  1157. okay I

  1158. have to

  1159. love them

  1160. it's a

  1161. heartfelt

  1162. explosion

  1163. that I'm

  1164. committed

  1165. to them

  1166. I will

  1167. give of

  1168. myself

  1169. to them

  1170. I will

  1171. open my

  1172. life to

  1173. them

  1174. you remember

  1175. Paul says

  1176. that we

  1177. didn't share

  1178. just the

  1179. gospel

  1180. but our

  1181. very

  1182. selves

  1183. and that's

  1184. the view

  1185. we're called

  1186. to in the

  1187. body of

  1188. Christ

  1189. how is

  1190. your labor

  1191. of love

  1192. are you

  1193. loving

  1194. passionately

  1195. the challenge

  1196. is it's

  1197. inconvenient

  1198. it's hard

  1199. it's hard

  1200. to deal

  1201. with

  1202. matter of

  1203. fact

  1204. I would

  1205. say for

  1206. us to

  1207. genuinely

  1208. love each

  1209. other

  1210. is not

  1211. just hard

  1212. it's

  1213. impossible

  1214. it's

  1215. impossible

  1216. but I

  1217. think

  1218. that's

  1219. why we

  1220. read

  1221. in chapter

  1222. 4 verse

  1223. 9 where

  1224. Paul said

  1225. you yourselves

  1226. have been

  1227. taught by

  1228. God

  1229. to love

  1230. one another

  1231. you know

  1232. we

  1233. need

  1234. an

  1235. external

  1236. influence

  1237. to love

  1238. the way

  1239. we're

  1240. called

  1241. to love

  1242. God

  1243. has to

  1244. do

  1245. a work

  1246. the

  1247. Holy

  1248. Spirit

  1249. has to

  1250. move

  1251. in our

  1252. hearts

  1253. if we're

  1254. really

  1255. going to

  1256. love

  1257. each other

  1258. and not

  1259. just

  1260. each

  1261. other

  1262. you know

  1263. we've

  1264. been around

  1265. since

  1266. Thursday

  1267. and we've

  1268. gotten to

  1269. be with

  1270. many of

  1271. you

  1272. and hear

  1273. your

  1274. stories

  1275. and everybody

  1276. constantly

  1277. talks about

  1278. how much

  1279. you guys

  1280. love each

  1281. other

  1282. that's

  1283. awesome

  1284. we love

  1285. that you

  1286. love each

  1287. other

  1288. that was a

  1289. lot of

  1290. loving

  1291. but

  1292. you know

  1293. that's

  1294. great

  1295. but remember

  1296. the picture

  1297. that we

  1298. see here

  1299. is not

  1300. just that

  1301. it's not

  1302. just a

  1303. love for

  1304. each other

  1305. but it's

  1306. a love

  1307. for those

  1308. outside

  1309. the walls

  1310. here

  1311. it's in

  1312. our

  1313. communities

  1314. it's

  1315. our

  1316. neighbors

  1317. it's

  1318. the

  1319. brothers

  1320. and

  1321. sisters

  1322. at

  1323. other

  1324. churches

  1325. throughout

  1326. Columbus

  1327. and

  1328. throughout

  1329. the

  1330. world

  1331. and it's

  1332. not

  1333. just

  1334. oh yeah

  1335. we should

  1336. help

  1337. them

  1338. out

  1339. but it's

  1340. this

  1341. passionate

  1342. love

  1343. and so

  1344. how are

  1345. you doing

  1346. we need

  1347. the Holy

  1348. Spirit

  1349. to do

  1350. that

  1351. and I

  1352. would

  1353. I challenge

  1354. you this

  1355. year

  1356. okay

  1357. this year

  1358. try

  1359. I'm trying

  1360. I'm not

  1361. doing very

  1362. well so

  1363. far

  1364. and I've

  1365. had more

  1366. time to

  1367. practice

  1368. than you

  1369. guys

  1370. but trying

  1371. every day

  1372. to pray

  1373. this simple

  1374. prayer

  1375. okay

  1376. it's a

  1377. very simple

  1378. prayer

  1379. I tried

  1380. to make

  1381. it simple

  1382. so I'd

  1383. remember

  1384. it

  1385. but I

  1386. still

  1387. forget

  1388. it

  1389. says

  1390. father

  1391. help me

  1392. to overflow

  1393. with love

  1394. for you

  1395. and for

  1396. your children

  1397. and for

  1398. all those

  1399. around me

  1400. and let

  1401. me challenge

  1402. you

  1403. you don't

  1404. have to

  1405. pray those

  1406. exact words

  1407. it's not

  1408. a magic

  1409. formula

  1410. or anything

  1411. but that

  1412. concept

  1413. that every

  1414. day

  1415. you are

  1416. coming

  1417. before

  1418. God

  1419. and you

  1420. are asking

  1421. him

  1422. through

  1423. his

  1424. spirit

  1425. to give

  1426. you

  1427. supernatural

  1428. love

  1429. if we

  1430. know

  1431. it's

  1432. impossible

  1433. for us

  1434. to do

  1435. it

  1436. then

  1437. we

  1438. also

  1439. need

  1440. to

  1441. realize

  1442. that

  1443. we

  1444. should

  1445. be

  1446. diligently

  1447. asking

  1448. him

  1449. to do

  1450. what

  1451. we

  1452. can't

  1453. do

  1454. you

  1455. see

  1456. so

  1457. first

  1458. let me

  1459. challenge

  1460. you

  1461. in your

  1462. labor

  1463. of love

  1464. pray

  1465. daily

  1466. for

  1467. his

  1468. work

  1469. of love

  1470. in your

  1471. life

  1472. the

  1473. second

  1474. thing

  1475. as I

  1476. worked

  1477. through

  1478. this

  1479. and

  1480. contemplated

  1481. how

  1482. does

  1483. this

  1484. need

  1485. to

  1486. work

  1487. out

  1488. in my

  1489. life

  1490. is

  1491. I

  1492. thought

  1493. about

  1494. one

  1495. of the

  1496. ways

  1497. I

  1498. need

  1499. to

  1500. help

  1501. myself

  1502. love

  1503. this

  1504. way

  1505. is

  1506. regularly

  1507. reminding

  1508. myself

  1509. of how

  1510. God

  1511. loves

  1512. me

  1513. and

  1514. we

  1515. see

  1516. throughout

  1517. the

  1518. Bible

  1519. many

  1520. ways

  1521. that

  1522. God

  1523. talks

  1524. about

  1525. his

  1526. love

  1527. for

  1528. us

  1529. many

  1530. ways

  1531. that

  1532. God

  1533. shows

  1534. his

  1535. love

  1536. to

  1537. us

  1538. we

  1539. see

  1540. many

  1541. ways

  1542. that

  1543. Jesus

  1544. loves

  1545. others

  1546. and

  1547. I

  1548. think

  1549. that

  1550. I

  1551. need

  1552. and

  1553. I'll

  1554. just

  1555. be

  1556. bold

  1557. and

  1558. say

  1559. I

  1560. think

  1561. you

  1562. need

  1563. it

  1564. too

  1565. how

  1566. do

  1567. we

  1568. live

  1569. that

  1570. love

  1571. out

  1572. so

  1573. spend

  1574. time

  1575. reflecting

  1576. on

  1577. the

  1578. love

  1579. of

  1580. Christ

  1581. and

  1582. on

  1583. God's

  1584. love

  1585. for

  1586. you

  1587. so

  1588. you

  1589. can

  1590. love

  1591. in

  1592. that

  1593. way

  1594. and

  1595. look

  1596. for

  1597. practical

  1598. opportunities

  1599. to

  1600. express

  1601. that

  1602. love

  1603. I

  1604. started

  1605. a

  1606. list

  1607. for

  1608. you

  1609. things

  1610. that

  1611. you

  1612. can

  1613. do

  1614. number

  1615. one

  1616. notice

  1617. when

  1618. people

  1619. aren't

  1620. here

  1621. and

  1622. contact

  1623. them

  1624. okay

  1625. that's

  1626. good

  1627. you

  1628. probably

  1629. do

  1630. that

  1631. okay

  1632. number

  1633. two

  1634. make

  1635. a

  1636. schedule

  1637. to

  1638. connect

  1639. with

  1640. a

  1641. different

  1642. person

  1643. and

  1644. family

  1645. each

  1646. week

  1647. you

  1648. could

  1649. do

  1650. that

  1651. look

  1652. for

  1653. those

  1654. with

  1655. a

  1656. need

  1657. and

  1658. secretly

  1659. meet

  1660. it

  1661. okay

  1662. that

  1663. one

  1664. might

  1665. be

  1666. harder

  1667. plan

  1668. ways

  1669. to

  1670. show

  1671. hospitality

  1672. several

  1673. times

  1674. a

  1675. week

  1676. now

  1677. I

  1678. was

  1679. making

  1680. a

  1681. much

  1682. longer

  1683. list

  1684. and

  1685. I

  1686. thought

  1687. nobody

  1688. is

  1689. going

  1690. to

  1691. listen

  1692. to

  1693. your

  1694. stupid

  1695. list

  1696. and

  1697. they're

  1698. not

  1699. going

  1700. to

  1701. remember

  1702. that

  1703. stuff

  1704. so

  1705. I

  1706. thought

  1707. I

  1708. better

  1709. summarize

  1710. it

  1711. so

  1712. I

  1713. got

  1714. something

  1715. quick

  1716. and

  1717. easy

  1718. for

  1719. you

  1720. Romans

    Romans 12:10

  1721. chapter

  1722. 12

  1723. verse

  1724. 10

  1725. Romans

    Romans 12:10

  1726. chapter

  1727. 12

  1728. verse

  1729. 10

  1730. you

  1731. can

  1732. turn

  1733. there

  1734. if

  1735. you

  1736. want

  1737. but

  1738. it's

  1739. short

  1740. you'll

  1741. remember

  1742. it

  1743. it

  1744. says

  1745. love

  1746. one

  1747. another

  1748. with

  1749. brotherly

  1750. affection

  1751. outdo

  1752. one

  1753. another

  1754. in

  1755. showing

  1756. honor

  1757. when

  1758. I

  1759. got

  1760. to

  1761. that

  1762. point

  1763. I

  1764. had

  1765. to

  1766. take

  1767. a

  1768. few

  1769. minutes

  1770. and

  1771. ponder

  1772. that

  1773. could

  1774. you

  1775. imagine

  1776. try

  1777. to

  1778. imagine

  1779. imagine

  1780. with

  1781. me

  1782. what

  1783. the

  1784. body

  1785. of

  1786. Christ

  1787. would

  1788. be

  1789. like

  1790. and

  1791. our

  1792. communities

  1793. if

  1794. we

  1795. really

  1796. came

  1797. to

  1798. each

  1799. situation

  1800. actively

  1801. trying

  1802. to

  1803. out

  1804. love

  1805. each

  1806. other

  1807. I

  1808. mean

  1809. really

  1810. think

  1811. about

  1812. it

  1813. if

  1814. that

  1815. was

  1816. your

  1817. intentional

  1818. goal

  1819. when

  1820. you

  1821. came

  1822. to

  1823. your

  1824. small

  1825. group

  1826. when

  1827. you

  1828. got

  1829. together

  1830. with

  1831. somebody

  1832. else

  1833. from

  1834. the

  1835. church

  1836. when

  1837. you

  1838. were

  1839. with

  1840. your

  1841. neighbors

  1842. when

  1843. you

  1844. were

  1845. in

  1846. your

  1847. community

  1848. that

  1849. you

  1850. were

  1851. actively

  1852. looking

  1853. to

  1854. outdo

  1855. them

  1856. and

  1857. honoring

  1858. them

  1859. if

  1860. you

  1861. are

  1862. looking

  1863. to

  1864. love

  1865. them

  1866. passionately

  1867. and

  1868. with

  1869. your

  1870. brothers

  1871. and

  1872. sisters

  1873. to

  1874. out

  1875. love

  1876. them

  1877. I

  1878. contend

  1879. that the

  1880. church

  1881. would be

  1882. transformed

  1883. and along

  1884. with it

  1885. the

  1886. community

  1887. if we

  1888. merely

  1889. did

  1890. that

  1891. one

  1892. thing

  1893. if we

  1894. loved

  1895. the way

  1896. Jesus

  1897. loved

  1898. us

  1899. and

  1900. sought

  1901. to

  1902. out

  1903. love

  1904. everybody

  1905. else

  1906. that

  1907. was

  1908. our

  1909. goal

  1910. whenever

  1911. we're

  1912. going

  1913. to

  1914. get

  1915. together

  1916. I'm

  1917. going

  1918. to

  1919. out

  1920. love

  1921. that

  1922. guy

  1923. our

  1924. lives

  1925. would

  1926. be

  1927. changed

  1928. our

  1929. churches

  1930. would

  1931. be

  1932. changed

  1933. our

  1934. communities

  1935. would

  1936. be

  1937. changed

  1938. people

  1939. really

  1940. would

  1941. know

  1942. we

  1943. are

  1944. disciples

  1945. of

  1946. Christ

  1947. because

  1948. of

  1949. our

  1950. love

  1951. for

  1952. each

  1953. other

  1954. so

  1955. you

  1956. can

  1957. make

  1958. your

  1959. own

  1960. list

  1961. I

  1962. don't

  1963. need

  1964. to

  1965. do

  1966. that

  1967. you

  1968. just

  1969. remember

  1970. that

  1971. this

  1972. this

  1973. challenge

  1974. is

  1975. in our

  1976. new

  1977. year

  1978. to

  1979. out

  1980. love

  1981. each

  1982. other

  1983. and

  1984. through

  1985. that

  1986. labor

  1987. of

  1988. love

  1989. to

  1990. make

  1991. an

  1992. eternal

  1993. impact

  1994. number

  1995. three

  1996. Paul

  1997. talks

  1998. about

  1999. remembering

  2000. their

  2001. steadfastness

  2002. of hope

  2003. in Jesus

  2004. Christ

  2005. their

  2006. steadfastness

  2007. of hope

  2008. in Jesus

  2009. Christ

  2010. I think

  2011. we need to

  2012. stop for a second

  2013. as well

  2014. and define hope

  2015. because it's also a word

  2016. that has gotten

  2017. diluted

  2018. and we talk about hope

  2019. in our culture

  2020. in our ways

  2021. as kind of like a wishful

  2022. thinking

  2023. you know

  2024. I'm

  2025. not sure

  2026. what's for lunch

  2027. but

  2028. I hope

  2029. it's

  2030. cheesecake

  2031. you know

  2032. what I'm saying

  2033. if it's not

  2034. cheesecake

  2035. it's okay

  2036. but

  2037. man

  2038. if it's

  2039. cheesecake

  2040. that'd be

  2041. great

  2042. you know

  2043. and we

  2044. think of

  2045. hope

  2046. that way

  2047. it's kind

  2048. of this

  2049. wishful

  2050. thinking

  2051. I hope

  2052. it works

  2053. out

  2054. probably

  2055. won't

  2056. I hope

  2057. it happens

  2058. if it

  2059. doesn't

  2060. it's

  2061. okay

  2062. but

  2063. biblically

  2064. that is

  2065. not the

  2066. way

  2067. the word

  2068. hope

  2069. is

  2070. used

  2071. you need

  2072. to

  2073. understand

  2074. that

  2075. you probably

  2076. know

  2077. that

  2078. but let

  2079. me

  2080. just

  2081. remind

  2082. you

  2083. in

  2084. scripture

  2085. hope

  2086. is a

  2087. much

  2088. stronger

  2089. word

  2090. it's

  2091. this

  2092. sense

  2093. of

  2094. trust

  2095. it's

  2096. this

  2097. sense

  2098. of

  2099. eager

  2100. longing

  2101. it's

  2102. this

  2103. expectation

  2104. that

  2105. something

  2106. will

  2107. happen

  2108. it's

  2109. far

  2110. stronger

  2111. than

  2112. our

  2113. use

  2114. of

  2115. the

  2116. word

  2117. hope

  2118. now

  2119. and

  2120. so

  2121. when

  2122. Paul

  2123. talks

  2124. here

  2125. about

  2126. their

  2127. steadfastness

  2128. in

  2129. hope

  2130. it's

  2131. not

  2132. like

  2133. they're

  2134. sitting

  2135. around

  2136. going

  2137. man

  2138. I

  2139. hope

  2140. everything

  2141. works

  2142. out

  2143. no

  2144. they

  2145. are

  2146. set

  2147. they

  2148. know

  2149. everything

  2150. is

  2151. going

  2152. to work

  2153. out

  2154. and

  2155. see

  2156. the

  2157. foundation

  2158. of

  2159. their

  2160. hope

  2161. you

  2162. remember

  2163. we

  2164. read

  2165. in

  2166. 1

  2167. Thessalonians

  2168. 1

  2169. 9

  2170. and

  2171. 10

  2172. it said

  2173. they

  2174. themselves

  2175. report

  2176. concerning

  2177. us

  2178. the

  2179. kind

  2180. of

  2181. reception

  2182. we

  2183. had

  2184. among

  2185. you

  2186. and

  2187. how

  2188. you

  2189. turn

  2190. to

  2191. god

  2192. from

  2193. idols

  2194. to

  2195. serve

  2196. the

  2197. living

  2198. and

  2199. true

  2200. god

  2201. and

  2202. to

  2203. wait

  2204. for

  2205. his

  2206. son

  2207. from

  2208. heaven

  2209. whom

  2210. he

  2211. raised

  2212. from

  2213. the

  2214. dead

  2215. Jesus

  2216. who

  2217. delivers

  2218. us

  2219. from

  2220. the

  2221. wrath

  2222. to

  2223. come

  2224. you

  2225. You see, the foundation of their hope is clear.

  2226. Their eyes are set on Jesus.

  2227. Their eyes are set on eternity.

  2228. If we look down in chapter 5, 1 Thessalonians 5, 8 through 11, we see it again.

  2229. 1 Thessalonians 5, 8 through 11 says,

  2230. 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.

  2231. For God has not destined us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us,

  2232. so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with Him.

  2233. Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

  2234. You see, their hope is set on Jesus.

  2235. Their eyes are set on eternity.

  2236. Remember, we talked about they're in the middle of persecution and affliction right now,

  2237. but they know that there's something good coming.

  2238. Or as 1 Peter 1, 4 says,

  2239. They have an inheritance that's imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven for them.

  2240. Their eyes are set on eternity.

  2241. And that's the foundation of this steadfast hope.

  2242. So whatever's happening, they look beyond it to Christ and know there is something more.

  2243. So that's the foundation of their hope.

  2244. But what we also see here is the fruit of their hope.

  2245. The fruit of their hope.

  2246. You've read already, we've read it several times.

  2247. 1 Thessalonians 1, 6.

  2248. He said,

  2249. You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction,

  2250. with the joy of the Holy Spirit.

  2251. You see, they were in the middle of affliction, but their hope enabled them to have joy.

  2252. They could face this trial, this trouble, this hurt, this brokenness, this persecution,

  2253. and still be rejoicing because they were waiting for something more.

  2254. They knew something good was coming.

  2255. Something else we see as a fruit of their hope is in 1 Thessalonians 4.

  2256. I didn't tell Pastor Andrew that we were preaching all of 1 Thessalonians.

  2257. I thought he cut me off, but I just said the first chapter, but it's all connected.

  2258. 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 through 18 says,

  2259. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep,

  2260. that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

  2261. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again,

  2262. even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

  2263. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,

  2264. we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,

  2265. will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

  2266. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command,

  2267. with the voice of an archangel, with the sound of the trumpet of God,

  2268. and the dead in Christ will rise first.

  2269. Then we who are alive, who are left,

  2270. will be caught up together with him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,

  2271. so we will always be with the Lord.

  2272. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

  2273. You see, their hope was set on the foundation of Christ,

  2274. and the fruit of it was that they could endure all of these things that were happening

  2275. with a sense of joy, with an awareness that good is coming.

  2276. At the very worst, it could only hurt for a lifetime.

  2277. And so, they were able, even in that, to grieve with hope.

  2278. So, third point of application is this.

  2279. How is your hope?

  2280. And what is it set on?

  2281. If it's set on worldly things, your new job, your new car,

  2282. the house you always wanted that you now have,

  2283. all of those things are going to disappoint you.

  2284. They're going to let you down.

  2285. If they're set on Jesus, though, then nothing can take away your hope.

  2286. Your hope becomes indestructible.

  2287. Whatever happens in your life, in your family,

  2288. you can step back and say, yeah, this is really bad, but Jesus still wins.

  2289. Because, see, we know the end.

  2290. Jesus wins.

  2291. And it gives us the ability to endure everything with joy.

  2292. Now, I know I'm already too long.

  2293. Thank you for your patience.

  2294. I have to add this point.

  2295. Hope is not fake.

  2296. Hope is not fake.

  2297. And what I mean by that is sometimes we get the idea that Christian hope,

  2298. being a Christian, being a good Christian,

  2299. is putting on this facade that we're okay.

  2300. You know, come to church.

  2301. How you doing?

  2302. I'm okay.

  2303. Because you don't really care anyway.

  2304. You know, and we just have this sense that we have to be okay on the outside.

  2305. But notice, here it talks about grieving with hope,

  2306. and that presumes we grieve.

  2307. We can't grieve with hope without grieving.

  2308. And I think one area that we make the mistake in

  2309. is not suffering together,

  2310. being open, being transparent,

  2311. and being willing to admit our struggles

  2312. so we can grieve with hope

  2313. so the world can see it's different than what they have.

  2314. So, here's the challenge for hope for this year.

  2315. This year, let me challenge you.

  2316. Find one person in the church

  2317. that you are going to be transparent with,

  2318. with your struggles,

  2319. and together seek to grieve with hope.

  2320. But let me give you a further challenge

  2321. and find somebody in your life,

  2322. could be a co-worker,

  2323. could be a neighbor,

  2324. that you are going to prayerfully seek

  2325. to open up the struggles of your life to

  2326. so that they can see you grieve with hope as well

  2327. and know that you serve a living God.

  2328. Here's three things to change the world.

  2329. A work of faith,

  2330. a labor of love,

  2331. and a steadfast hope in Christ.

  2332. I pray that you will commit with me this year

  2333. to pursue those things

  2334. until all the world has heard

  2335. that Maranatha has a living God.

  2336. Let's pray.

  2337. Father, we thank you.

  2338. We thank you for your word

  2339. and that by your word you bring life.

  2340. Father, we thank you that you have given us faith,

  2341. that you have shown us your love,

  2342. and that you have given us something to hope in.

  2343. Father, I pray

  2344. that by your spirit

  2345. we would live those things out

  2346. and show the world

  2347. that we serve

  2348. a living God

  2349. and that we have

  2350. a risen Savior

  2351. who is worth it.

  2352. In Jesus' name we pray.

  2353. Amen.

  2354. Let's stand together.

  2355. Sing together.

  2356. I am thine, O Lord.

  2357. I have heard your voice

  2358. and it told your love to me.

  2359. But I long to rise

  2360. in the arms of faith

  2361. and be closer drawn to thee.

  2362. And you are holy holy