Boast Of His Image Series

Series: Imitators

2 Thessalonians was written shortly after the first letter was delivered. Most likely the deliverer of the first letter noted some serious misunderstandings of The Coming of the Lord and end times beliefs which needed to be addressed. Paul writes this letter quickly upon hearing that there had been a prophetic word or revelation that the Day of the Lord had already happened. There was also an issue of some who had quit working after becoming a Christian. Paul writes this letter to help this young church to mature in their faith and to be a quiet witness with their lives for the people of Thessalonica.

Sermon 6: Boast of His Image!

Thesis: Are you boasting about Jesus and His image – are others looking at you imitating Jesus and boasting about your faith, love and spiritual maturity? Paul did of the Thessalonians! Are there those in our community boasting about our perseverance as a Church or as believers? Do others see us standing up and boasting for the image and the message of Jesus?

Note: We are 84 years old as a church and in April of 2013 we will be 85 years old – what are people saying about us in our community? Are we still proudly holding up the image of Jesus with our lives? Are others boasting of our church and its ministries? Are we boasting of the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus to others? Have wondered how our church is viewed by the world around us?

2 Thessalonians 1:1- 12:

1Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

4Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

5All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

6God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you

7and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

10on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

11With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

12We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The word “boasting” – defined: 1. To speak with exaggeration and excessive pride, especially about oneself. 2. To speak with pride! 3. To brag!

Synonyms: advertise, aggrandize, attract attention, blow, blow one's own horn, blow smoke, bluster, bully, cock-a-doodle-doo, con, congratulate oneself, crow, exaggerate, exult, fake, flatter oneself, flaunt, flourish, gasconade, give a good account of oneself, gloat, glory, grandstand, hug oneself, jive, lay on thick, prate, preen, psych, puff, shoot*, shovel, show off, showboat, shuck, sling, sound off, strut, swagger, talk big, triumph.

This is what it means to boast about something. So let me ask my questions again to each of you this morning “Are you boasting about what the Lord has done for you?”

Testimony: Derrick and Inga will come up and give their testimony of Emma Corrine their new healthy baby and share what the doctors kept telling them. But we prayed and God heard that prayer!

2 Corinthians 10:17-18: But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”

We need to be boasting about what the Lord is doing in our lives to others! We need to be boasting to others about what God is doing in other people’s lives.

Father of Lights will do this tonight – it is a movie boasting about the power and the miracles of Jesus across this world. Don’t miss it! Get your tickets today!