The Word Of God Series

The Word of God

1 Thessalonians 2:13

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

How easy it is to look upon this modern world and only see gossipers, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, boastful, disobedient people that have no fidelity, no love, and no mercy; and feel our evangelistic-holy-living labor is in vain (Romans 1:28-30)! And yet despite the depravity of their self-righteous, pleasure seeking, broad path of destruction living, surely Christ’s ambassadors, are called to take on the attitude of Apostle Paul and the Lord who saw the ripeness of the fields in midst of their darkness (Matthew 7:13-14, 9:37)? For instance, in the face of thousands of gods, emperor worship, and sexual relations often being treated like a sport without boundaries; Apostle Paul preached the word of God as one making an appeal to the image-bearing, yet persecutors of the Lord that God still loved them and dearly wanted them to be reconciled unto their Creator, Lord, Savior, and King. And yet while many remained lost, to those who heard the Good Shepherd call their name through the Word of God, Paul thanked Him continually (2:13). Paul did not take the credit but instead praised God for His word is true (Psalms 19:7), timeless (Isaiah 40:8), transforms and can be trusted (Proverbs 3:5). It is not by the empty rhetoric of the opinionated, philosophical, or even the most learned that one sees the Light but by hearing, listening, and submitting to the word of God that explains His sovereignty, love, grace, and forgiveness. With tears of joy streaming down his face, Paul gratefully praises the Lord for the multitude of lost sheep who have now come to understand that the cross is not foolishness, as stated in 1 Corinthians 1:18, but rather a powerful message of reconciliation to be embraced wholeheartedly!

Reflection. It can be deeply disheartening to witness countless individuals continuing in their sins and wandering on the broad path of destruction despite our fervent evangelistic endeavors. In such moments, we must resist the temptation to adopt Elijah's despairing mindset, as recounted in 1 Kings 18:22, mistakenly believing that we are the sole worshipers of the Creator. Rather than dwelling on hopelessness, let us marvel at the miraculous transformation of those lost sheep whom we've had the honor to sow seeds of righteousness into. Let our hearts be filled with joy, knowing that through our faithful words and upright lives, enabled by the Holy Spirit, we have made an eternal difference in their lives!

Hearing the Word

While there are many walks in life that bring us great joy such as walking down the isle of marriage, walking over to pick up our children, walking to the dinner table, or walking along the peaceful sandy shores; nothing compares to walking up to the lost and boldly saying, “God loves you.” But how can the sheep hear the voice of the Shepherd if no one is speaking His words? When we tell others about the Good News Christ speaks through the Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit seeds of righteousness are planted into their hearts! Numerous factors contribute to believers' reluctance to vocalize the teachings of Christ, including fear of misinterpretation, rejection, uncertainty, timidity, diminished ardor, and insufficient commitment to faith and obedience. However, the primary deterrent to Christians sharing the source of their hope is the misconception that this responsibility falls solely on pastors, evangelists, or deacons, rather than on every believer. While Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy were the ones who initially planted seeds of righteousness in Thessalonica, it was the believers who continued to spread the Good News after he left! At times, all it takes is one individual deeply enamored with the Lord to spontaneously declare, "Jesus loves you," to everyone they encounter, resulting in a harvest of believers sixty times greater than what was initially sown (Matthew 13:1-9). Let me give you a quick illustration.

“Think for a moment. Can you think of any point in history when God’s Word was snuffed out completely? You cannot, and that is the point. No one—no force, no evil, no government, not even Satan himself—can stop the gospel. The gospel finds a way, and it always will as seen in this example from World War II.

A few years … before the war, a humble villager in eastern Poland received a Bible from a colporteur [someone who sells or gives away Bibles] who visited a small hamlet. He read it, was converted, and passed the book on to others. Through that one Bible two hundred more [people] became believers.

When the colporteur, Michael Billester, revisited the town in the summer of 1940, the group gathered to worship and listen to his preaching. Billester suggested that instead of giving the customary testimonies they all recite verses of Scripture.

Thereupon a man arose and asked, “Perhaps we have misunderstood. Did you mean verses or chapters?”