Godly Characteristics Of A New Testament Church

Is him now turn with me today to 1st Thessalonians and we're

going to read chapter 1 First Thessalonians chapter 110 verses

First Thessalonians chapter 1 Let's hear the word of God for

1 Thessalonians 1 · chapter mention

those on the Internet. The words will come up on the

screen and as we have said often, the worthy of much

repetition. We're reading from the

Authorised Version, the most reliable and faithful

translation of the Holy Scriptures, First Thessalonians,

1 Thessalonians 1 · chapter mention

Chapter 1, Paul and Sylvanus. Let me just point out that

that's a Latin word, Latin. Now it's Paul and Silas.

Silas is the Greek Paul and Sylvanus and Timotheus unto the

Church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Father and

in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be unto you and peace from

God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you

in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of

faith and your labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord

Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.

Knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God for our gospel

came not unto you in Word only, but also in power and in the

Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what

manner of men. We were among you for your sake,

and ye became followers of us and of the Lord, having received

the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost.

So that ye were in samples to all that believe in Macedonia

and Ikaya. For from you sounded out the

word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Akaya, but also in

every place your faith to God were to spread abroad.

So that we need not to speak anything, for they themselves

show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and

how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and the true

God, and to wait for His Son from heaven.

And he raised from the dead even Jesus, which delivered us from

the wrath to come. Amen.

We know God and stamp of his own approval and blessing.

This reading of his own precious and infallible word.

Man. Now my text today is taken from

First Thessalonians chapter 1 verses one to three, and I've

1 Thessalonians 1 · chapter mention

entitled this message, Godly Characteristics of a New

Testament Church. Now, years ago, a father took

his boy to the History Museum in New York.

And for two hours the wee boy walked about the History Museum.

And he huffed and he puffed, he sighed and he complained.

And at the end of the two hours, he said to his dad, Hey, dad,

let's get out of here. Let's go and see something

that's real. I don't want to see this old

stuff, the stuff that's dead, the stuff that's irrelevant.

Now of course the wee fella had a bad attitude, but that is the

kind of attitude that many have when they come to the God of the

Bible and the Bible of God. To them it's old, dead,

irrelevant stuff to life, things without meaning in a real what

they would call a a scientific world.

However, let me tell you this, nothing could be further from

the truth. The Bible is a real, living,

valuable book more relevant than up to date for life in the 21st

century than anything else you'll ever come across young

people or read. Someone has said a working

knowledge of the Bible is more valuable than a college degree.

It is not interesting because sadly today there are thousands,

maybe 10s of thousands of students at this time who are

getting their college degree, getting a degree from university

and this and that subject in another.

But those young people, they're leaving the university and they

have no working knowledge of the Bible.

You see, what scares me in the 21st century is this.

God said through Amos, there's a famine in the land.

Not a famine of bread, not a famine of water, but a famine of

hearing the word of God. Where's the thousands of young

university students leaving the university asking the question,

is there any word from God? Now this morning I want to

preach on some truths from Thessalonians.

This is begin a new series of messages for us.

And these truths, young people are real.

These young people are these truths.

Young people are relevant and up to date.

You see, when Paul wrote First Thessalonians and 2nd

Thessalonians, he was writing to real people, people who lived in

the very first century. And these 1st century people,

they had real problems and one of their biggest problems was

this, that they were suffering persecution for their faith in

Jesus Christ. Literally, they were living in a

world similar to our world despite the span of 2100 years.

Now, as we think about the truths to do with Thessalonians,

I want you to think of this. First of all, the background to

Thessalonians. See, the city of Thessalonanka

was an important city. It's still an important city in

a modern industrial setting in modern Greece.

Did you know that Thessalonanka was an important Allied base in

World War One? Did you know it was captured by

the Germans in World War 2? Did you know that there was a

Jewish community then in Thessalonanka in World War 2 of

60,000 Jews, they were deported. The majority were executed by

the Nazis, but this and I think it was not only an important

city in modern history and you can go and visit it today.

It's the second largest city in the land of Greece besides

Athens, but it was also an ancient city.

It was formerly called Thermos, known for its Hot Springs.

And then the name was changed in three, 14316 BC to celebrate the

birthday of the half sister of Alexander the Great.

That's why it'd be called the name Thessalonia.

And then of course, it was captured by the Romans in 168

BC. And in the days of Rome, when

they captured the city, there were some 200,000 people lived

there, Greeks, Romans and of course Jews.

Now you think not only of the background to the city today,

but think about the background to the church.

If you look at our text, it says Paul and Saldanis.

That's a Latin name for Silas and Timotheus unto the Church of

the Thessalonians. So we'll pause there.

The Church of the Thessalonians, think about the background to

the church. The formation of this church

started some time ago in AD 50. Paul, Silas and Timothy has

visited this city on their second missionary journey.

Paul and Silas remember we're in Philippi where they landed

first, having heard the call from the of Macedonia.

Come over and help us remember in that city they were unjustly

beaten, thrown into prison. God had used them to start the

first church in European soil. Think of the conversion of

Lydia. Remember the earthquake and the

Philippi jailhouse, the conversion of the Philippine

gaoler and his house. And then the city officials

there urged him to leave. So they left Philippi, and then

they went to Thessalonanka, which was 100 miles away.

And as I've already told you, this was a major city.

This was one of the capital of one of four districts in

Macedonia. This city enjoyed local autonomy

as a Jewish, as a Roman colony, and it was a very prosperous

city. And in Thessalonica was a Jewish

synagogue. And as a visiting rabbi trained

under Gamil, Paul was permitted to preach, and he did for three

consecutive Sundays. We read in Acts 17.

And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three

Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening

and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen

again from the dead, and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto

you, is Christ. We read in verse 4.

And some of them believed and consorted it with Paul and Silas

and of the devout Greeks, a great multitude, and of the

chief woman not a few. So as a result of Paul

preaching, we can see some of the Jews and many God fearing

Greeks and a number of the chief women believed.

Acts 17 verse 4. And here now was the second New

Acts 17:4

Testament church formed on European soil.

Now we don't know how long Paul stayed in Thessalonica.

It could have been a short time, like say roughly a month, could

have been a few months, We don't know.

But we know this, that Paul worked at his trade when he was

among them. It says in First Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2 and verse 9. For ye remember brethren, our

labour and travail for labouring night and day, because we would

not be chargeable to any of you. We preached unto you the gospel

of God. He did receive financial help

from the Philippine Church in the book of Philippians we read

there in chapter 4 and in the verse 6.

Remember what Paul tells us there in Colossians.

He, he, he, he, he tells us Philippians chapter 4 and in the

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

verse 16. For even in Thessaloniki he sent

once and again unto my necessity.

Now I'm putting it to you that that requires some time, OK?

If he worked at his trade, if he received gifts from Philippi, it

may have taken some time to get that all sorted out.

You take the depth of teaching here.

Seems too much to cram into one month, but it is possible.

He also appointed leaders to oversee them for Thessalonians

5, verse 12. And after a while, this is what

happened. The Jews who didn't believe,

they formed a mob. They sent the city an uproar.

The House of Jason it was attacked.

Jason was charged with welcoming strangers who preached another

king, but Caesar Acts 17 verse 7.

Acts 17:7

The church then asked Paul and Silas to leave so they set off

for Berea, 50 miles to the West of Thessalonia.

Paul, remember, set off then from Berea after a time to

Athens, and later on he sent Timothy back to Thessalonia to

see how the new converts were doing.

Whenever Timothy reported good news about the converts, Paul

sent them again, and this time he sent them back with the first

letter that was written probably about six months to a year after

he had left Thessalonians. The Second Thessalonians letter

was written about a year and a half after he left the first

time. So all of that there is

background information, background information to the

city and background information to the church.

Now I want you to think, thirdly, of the burden of the

Thessalonians. Why did he write this?

I believe he wrote it for five reasons.

One, to express his heartfelt thanks to God for their

conversion. They were his brothers and

sisters and the Lord. He wanted them to know that he

loved them and his heart felt compassion and concern for them.

That's the first reason. The second reason was to help

further grind them in the great doctrines of the faith.

The third reason was he was concerned for them because they

were enduring ongoing persecution, most of it from the

Jews. In fact, he tells us here in

First Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 4.

1 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

For ye brethren, became followers of the churches of

God, which in Judea are in Christ Jesus.

For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen,

even as they have of the Jews. The fourth reason was to urge

them to holy living, and especially in light of the

Lord's return. Sadly, some had a lack of

respect for church leaders, and Paul wanted to correct that.

Here's the fifth reason to correct some confusion and

misunderstanding over matters connected to the Lord's return.

You see what had happened in Thessalonia.

Some had stopped working because they believed that the Lord's

return was so near that they didn't have to work.

And others in Thessalonia were grieving because their loved

ones had died and they were uncertain, unsure what was going

to happen to the dead bodies of our loved ones before the Lord

returned. What would they be left behind?

Paul writes about that in First Thessalonians chapter 413

through to 18. And some were also concerned

because of the misunderstanding as to the meaning of the day of

the Lord. Now much of First Thessalonians,

2nd Thessalonians, focuses on one theme and that's on the

Lord's return. So we've looked at the

background, We've looked at the burden.

Now let's look at the blessings of Thessalonians.

You see, the foundation and formation of a New Testament

church proves this, the life giving, transforming power of

the gospel. Paul and Silas came into a Pagan

city. No one for its idolatry, no one

for its iniquity. The inhabitants had No Fear or

thought of God. Here's a Pagan place with a

Pagan people enjoying Pagan practises.

We read about how they turn to God from idols to serve the

living and the true God. Verse 9.

I want you to think of this now. Think very carefully.

Here's where the Lord worked. Paul preached Christ and him

crucified, the Holy Ghost moved and lots of people got saved,

Jews and Gentiles and leading women and and and a New

Testament church was formed here in a most unlikely place for a

New Testament church. And yet it was here the Lord

planted a church. And why do I emphasise that?

I emphasise that for this reason, often times people

despair. Think of our own area of carried

off. This area's too hard, this

community's too dark and depraved.

Are we country of Northern Ireland?

Can it be changed and transformed?

Too sinful, too stubborn, impossible for God to work in

the midst of this darkness and doors and depravity.

And I want to say this morning, no, you see, our God is able.

God is unlimited in His power. In Acts 17, when Paul came

preaching Christ, expounding the Scriptures, exalting the

Saviour, explaining about the necessity of the new birth and

the blood sacrifice of Christ, the Lord worked.

The Lord saved hundreds and thousands.

Here's the means that the Lord has ordained the Bible tells us

there in Corinthians and 1st Corinthians chapter one for

after that in the wisdom of God, the word by wisdom you not God

and please God by the foolishness of preaching to see

of them that believe it is not tremendous.

This is written for our encouragement and we and carried

off. We have to be faithful in

expounding the Scriptures, in exalting the Saviour.

He said if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me, and

I've got to explain the necessity of the new birth and

explain the necessity of the blood sacrifice of Christ.

The gospel is the answer because the gospel's the power of God

unto salvation. You've heard me praying this

morning for Alcoholics. Can Alcoholics be saved?

Absolutely. Why?

Because the gospel's the power of God and that is true for the

drug addict and that's true for those that are mentally ill.

They can be brought to peace with God and have the peace of

God. That's true for those that are

struggling. The trauma of a very difficult

broken relationship that even has led to divorce and and many

are struggling with many, many issues at this time.

But the answer is Christ. The answer's the gospel because

the gospel's the power of God unto salvation.

It's not what Paul said, for I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of

Christ, for it's the power of God unto salvation to everyone

that believeth, to the Jew 1st and also to the Greek, for

therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith

as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

We could think about the background to this church, how

that's an important modern day city, how that's an ancient city

mentioned in the Holy Scriptures, going all the way

back to the times of Alexander the Great.

We could think about the burden of why Paul wrote to this city.

They've given you 5 reasons. There may be others.

And we can think about the blessing and the greatest

blessing that came to Thessalonica was the preaching

of the gospel. Because the gospel is the power

of God and the salvage. The gospel changed and

transformed these people from being idolaters and and living

in sin to to living for the Saviour.

Think about the battles of Thessalonians will underline the

word the Church of the Thessalonians once again, these

people, as have said, they're converted pagans and they're

living out the Christian life in a Pagan culture in the 1st

century and they were living a victorious, vibrant Christian

life facing hardship, facing persecution environment that was

very hostile to them, a hellish backlash from the devil in the

hordes of hell. But they had not gone back.

They had not given up on God. They had not denied the Lord

Jesus Christ. They held fast to to what they

had been taught that they had a vibrant Christian testimony and

this church made an impact in Thessalonica and not only in in

Thessalonica, but in the other districts in Macedonia and in

the IKEA as well as not what he said first, yet for from you

sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and IKEA,

but also in every place your faith to God were to spread

abroad so that we need not to speak anything.

Here's the battles very quickly. I want you to think of the

beliefs in Thessalonica. They believed in a triune God.

Notice the words, which is in God the Father and in the Lord

Jesus Christ. There's two persons of the Holy

Trinity. If you come to verse 5, he

mentions the Holy Ghost. There's the third person of the

Trinity that these people were Trinitarian in their theology

and the word in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ speaks of

being in union and communion and and fellowship with God.

These people were in a right relationship with the Lord

despite the persecution, despite their difficult circumstances.

In fact, more than that, they don't only believed in a triune

godfather, Son and Holy Spirit, but they believed that God was

their holy and heavenly Father. In fact, as mentioned here,

which is in God the Father, Paul mentioned that and and and and

that that's important that you grasp hold of that.

He said the same in verse 3. Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in

the sight of God and our Father. He emphasised the word Father

over and over and over and over again.

They believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice the full title here. Lord refers to his deity.

Jesus refers to his humanity. Christ refers to his ministry.

It was the Lord Jesus who founded the church.

He said I will build my church in the gates of hell to not

prevail against it. He purchased this church with

his own blood and they of course experience God's grace.

He says grace be to you and peace from God our Father and

the Lord Jesus Christ. Here's the true source of grace

and peace. Notice the order grace comes

first, undeserved, unmerited favour.

That's, that's the heart of the gospel.

And then this word peace, well, it's a beautiful word, of

course. It means be safe, be certain and

enjoy all that God has for you, peace with God and and the peace

of God. Here's the true source of this

grace. Here's the true source of this

peace. It comes from a triune God, God

the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, he says in

verse 2, we give thanks to God always for you all, making

mention of you in your prayers and the word God.

Here we can underline that if you think about the whole

doctrine of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, He says

making mention of you in our prayers, we could talk about how

they believed in the new birth, believed in the blood sacrifice

of Christ, how they believed in preaching the Word, how they

believed in living and light of the Lord's return.

All of the major doctrines that we believe in are all found and

taught in this first epistle. So we could think about their

beliefs. We could ask ourselves, do we

know what we believe in and why we believe it?

But let me finish this morning, in the last 10 minutes that we

have, I want you to think of the behaviour of the Thessalonians

because it's one thing to grasp the background, understand this

is an important ancient city where a New Testament church was

founded and how it was founded through the preaching of the

gospel. It's one thing to not only grasp

the background and understand the burden of why Paul wrote

this and think about the blessing that came in the gospel

with a New Testament church and thinking about their battles and

thinking about their beliefs. But let's think for a moment

about their behaviour. Look with me at verse 3 and with

us. We'll finish today remembering

without ceasing your work of faith, the neighbour of love and

patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of

God and our Father. You see, here's genuine, real

evidence that they belong to Christ.

Now let me just pause for a moment.

If I was a psychologist and you were coming to me for an

interview and I was trying to analyse your need as a

psychologist, I would tell you that you need three things.

One, I would tell you you need something to believe in.

I would tell you, you need something to love.

I would tell you, you need something to look forward to.

That's what all the modern psychotherapists,

psychoanalysts, psychiatrists tell people today who are

struggling with mental illness. You need something to believe

and something to love and something to look forward to.

Well, you know what? The Bible's one step ahead,

young people in the very first century.

What does Paul say when he prays about Thessalonica and the

church there? He says we give thanks to God

always for your role, making mention of you in our prayers,

remembering. What does he remember without

ceasing one? Your work of faith.

Here's what they believed in and your labour of love.

Here's what they loved and patience of hope.

Hope for the future, and of course it's in our Lord Jesus

Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.

Here's genuine evidence that they belong to Christ.

Let's ask the question, is there genuine evidence in our lives

that we belong to Christ? Are we a real, true, healthy

church? How do you recognise a good

church? Here are the godly

characteristics, I believe, of a New Testament church as far as

their beliefs and behaviours concerned.

Here's what we believe in. Here's what we really love.

Here's what we look forward to. Three things as we finish.

One, they have a faith that endures.

Notice these words, your work of faith.

Let's define faith. Faith in Jesus Christ is a

saving grace whereby we receive rest upon Him alone for

salvation, as He's offered to us in the Gospel Ephesians 28 and

9. For by grace He is saved through

faith, and not not of yourselves.

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

boast. See, the gift of faith is

implanted in the soul in the new birth.

And we believe, of course, that salvation is by grace alone,

through faith alone in Christ alone as revealed in the

scriptures, alone to the glory of God alone.

Salvation is not by works of righteousness, which we have

done. Salvation is not by performing

religious ceremonies. It's not wrought by good

practises and making a payment or or doing penance.

No. Remember what Paul says in the

book of Galatians. In Galatians 2 and 16, he said

this knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the

law. In other words, it's not a

workspace righteousness, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.

Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be

justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law.

For by the works of the law should no flesh be justified.

Christ is the true object of our saving faith.

And young people saving faith is not our true faith is not the

just the decision of a moment. It's the principle of the whole

life. You see, we're not just saved by

faith, but we live by faith. The just shall live by faith.

The whole of the Christian life is a life of faith, and that's

how we define what faith is. Not only do we define faith

here, but we declare faith or display faith.

True saving faith is not a dead faith.

It's not something temporary, it's not something short term.

It's the principle of the life that leads to a godly practise.

Genuine faith is a faith that endures, a faith that continues,

a faith that receives Christ, a faith that rests in Christ, a

faith that has a regard for Christ, a faith that's an

ongoing, constant, living principle that's seen in our

actions, seen in our attitude, seen in our practise.

See, the New Testament knows nothing of people being saved

and continues to live an open sin and depravity and in

rebellion to God. There's many professors of

religion like that in Northern Ireland, but the bottom line is

they're not truly born of God. They've never been truly

genuinely converted and changed and transformed by the power of

God. They know nothing of this

principle of faith planted within them.

Many live in a state of open doubt and fear.

See, salvation is not just about being saved from hell and sin's

penalty. That's involved.

It's not just about being saved from the guilt and power of sin

that's involved, but it's about being saved also from sin's

pleasure. He takes the love of sinning out

of her heart. He breaks the power of

counselled sin. He sets the prisoner free.

We have a new life in Christ. We have a new love.

We have a new loyalty. We have a new likeness to Him.

I've often said the word believeth in John 3 and 16 is I

have believed, I am believing and I will keep on believing.

You see, it's it's not the decision of a moment.

It's the principle of a life, the whole life.

And how many of our young people have made an early profession

and yet today they're living far from the Lord, entangled in the

things of the world, and they don't have any sound or solid

evidence they were really born of God.

And yet they comfort themselves in their sin, comfort them in

their rebellion. That when I've made a decision

for Jesus as a child or as a young person.

But it's not about just making the decision, putting your hand

up, walking an aisle, praying a prayer.

It's about this principle of faith changing and transforming

and working within you, not only defining, displaying, but

declaring because this true faith enabled them to stand and

face persecution. Imagine somebody coming and

saying to you, deny Christ, or I'm going to murder you or deny

Christ and you're going to lose your job.

Deny Christ and I'm going to put you to your home and take all

your possessions. You see that was happening in

that day and they were facing a lot of hardship and trials and

troubles. This was the hottest of trials

that you could imagine. This is one of the biggest

battles that you could face. And yet here's these believers

in Thessalonica in the midst of this persecution.

And what did they do? They endured how the work of

faith. They did a great work for God.

They were in samples, not only received the word First

Thessalonians one in seven, but they evangelised.

They sounded the Word of Faith out first eight.

Let me ask this is your faith real?

Is it genuine? Have you got true saving faith,

a faith that endures? You can define that faith as the

gift of God. You can declare it.

You can display it very quickly here.

Not only have they a faith that endures, but they had a love

that evangelises. Notice the words labour of love.

Let me ask you this and I'll just go down this very quickly.

Have you a love for God this morning?

The Bible tells us they shall love the Lord thy God with all

thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and

with all thy strength. Matthew chapter 22, verses 37

Matthew 22:37

and 38. You see, that's the proper

object of the Christian love, a love to God in the fullness

revelation of his person, but also a love to God as a holy

heavenly Father. It was Augustine that said I

would hate my whole soul if I didn't find it loving God.

Do you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength

more than anything else in the world?

Have you a love for the Saviour? First Corinthians 6/22 If any

man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.

That means let him go to the lowest hell.

Remember he asked Peter, lovest thou me more than these?

You see, Christ must be the object of that love you.

You can't have faith in Christ apart from loving him.

You can't have faith in Christ without loving him.

And if you love the Saviour, you'll love the Holy Spirit.

The Bible talks about the Holy Spirit shedding the love of God

abroad in our hearts. You love the Scriptures.

The psalmist said, Oh, how I love thy law.

Psalm 119, verse 97. And you can see a people here

Psalms 119:97

how they received the word of God.

He says, For our gospel came not unto you in Word only, but also

in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you

know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

They had a love for the Sabbath day.

They had one day set aside for worship.

Exodus 20, verse 18. Remember the Sabbath day which

Exodus 20:18

keepeth holy. They had a love for the

sanctuary. They had a love for the Saints.

Remember Jesus said, by this shall all men know you're my

disciples if you have loved one for another.

They had a love for the souls of men.

They had a burden and a passion for their fellow countrymen.

They didn't have a love for self or a love for sin.

Now let me ask you as I apply this, what do we love the most?

Look into your heart this morning.

What is your heart fixed on? How much do we love our God?

How much do we love the Lord Jesus Christ?

Love the Spirit? How much do we love the

scriptures? Not the wealth of the world, but

the Word. My greatest treasure is the Word

of God. Is our love for God rooted in

redemption on a relationship with God?

Have we got an Ida silver but but not the Holy Scriptures?

Have we have we a a a burning holy love for him and his

precious word? Has our love seen?

Has our love been shown to others in that we labour?

You see this word labour means in this exhausting type of love

it it controlled and motivated them.

Or have we left our first love? You see, if we say we love him,

we'll be happy to serve him. It means that Christ does

everything to us. So I asked the question, is this

the kind of love that we have? What do we really live for?

What do we love? Do we love anything more than

the things of God? Do we love anything more than

our love for the Lord and the Saviour and the Sabbath and the

sanctuary and the souls of men and the servants of God?

Do we seek to win the lost to Christ?

You see, they had a love that evangelises.

I finish with this. They had a hope that enjoys it

says in our text here. And patience of hope in our Lord

Jesus Christ. Patience of hope.

I hope that sure and certain. Not a hope that's going to rain

tomorrow. We're not really sure, but this

is sure and certain. There's a clarity here.

Remember, they're suffering great affliction.

It's a day of trouble. And the Lord comes in their

hardship and he comforts them, He sustains them.

He helps them to continue to go on at patience of hope.

They're waiting. They're waiting patiently.

They're enduring hardship. They keep in their mind we're

here to live. And light of the Lord's return.

We're not here forever. One day we'll die.

But Christ is in us the hope of glory.

That's the clarity here. Here's the certainty.

One day when their life will end, either by martyrdom or

natural death, they'll be with Christ, which is far better.

They'll see him as He is. And what a comfort here, not

only with Him and see him, but one day be like him and of a new

body, like unto his glorious body.

Because they believe not only in the Lord's return, but also in

the resurrection. This world was not their final

home. Now I am finished this morning.

But think of this in light of what we profess to believe.

How do we live? How do others see our behaviour?

Because people seen the believers here in Thessalonanka

as those who had a work of faith, a labour of love and a

patience of hope. Is that how the ungodly in the

world sees us living for our Saviour?

I leave it there this morning. I trust that the Lord will bless

this first study to us. I've taken a lot in this

morning. I don't want it to be a long

study, but I pray that these few highlights will be of help and

blessing.