1. (N.O.) No. A very UNPOPULAR WORD for sure.
a. No. Not right now. No. It’s not possible.
b. No. You can’t have it. No. You can’t go there. No. No. No!
c. I know for sure my kids aren’t too excited with that word!
2. And Just thinking about it gets some of you on edge!
a. You’re on the other end of the word NO today.
b. You don’t like it. You don’t understand it. But it’s there.
c. You wanted such and such… the answer was NO.
d. You really desired it… answer NO.
e. You tried & tried & tried… every time it’s been NO.
SO THE QUESTION IS: Can God use the ‘NO’S’ of life?
• Is there really a reason in all of the NO’S?
Romans 8.28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
APP: I’m amazed at how often we BALK at the NO’s from God.
• Our hearts are set, our minds are made up, and when God denies us… oh how we can get SO UPSET!
• But I’m glad that God tells me NO at times!
• As I look back, I’m so blessed to see that God didn’t give me everything I wanted throughout my life.
• He saved me from so much pain & agony & distress.
Ps. 37.23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.
• Might I add that His STOPS are also ordered by God.
APP: Will God use frustration? Can he bring joy out of heartache?
• YES!!! It’s through frustration that God is using to break our self-will, to break our self-dependence…
• He lets you get to that place where you cry out, What now?
2 Cor. 12.8-9 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
• God’s NO’s are JUST AS IMPORTANT as His GO’s.
That’s how the church in Philippi started… with frustration.
• Paul the apostle really wanted to go into Asia with the gospel.
• But twice, the “Holy Spirit forbid” them.
• God wanted Paul to go into the area of Macedonia where there were people RIPE & READY to hear the gospel!
• So they move into the area of Macedonia and a wonderful work of God started with some women praying at the riverside.
• THEN a young demon-possessed girl was saved.
• THEN Persecution came. Paul & Silas were thrown in Jail!
• AND God broke them out, a jailer got saved, and they headed off to a city about 100 miles away… Thessalonica.
• Out of a NO. Grown from frustration. A Church is born!
At the time, Thessalonica was a city of about 300K.
• For that day it was a large city, a mega city, an important city!
• Originally it was called THERMA because of the many hot springs there but Alexander the Great renamed it after his sister.
• Today it’s the second largest city in Greece, named Thessaloniki with over a million people calling it home.
• Let’s look at Acts 17:1-9 for a look at the foundation of this fellowship.
I. (17:1-9) Thessalonica
1. (1-3) Paul sought out the synagogue and began to preach.
a. Paul’s pattern of evangelism was to go to the Jew first.
b. They would be familiar with the OT & would have a foundation to build upon.
c. It was also a place where he would be welcomed.
• He would be recognized as a prominent rabbi.
• He would then be asked to share his insights.
Notice the methods Paul used here to share the gospel…
#1 He REASONED with them.
Literally… to dialogue, or ‘mingle thought with thought’
• He listened to what they had to say and then began to compare it with the truth of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
#2 He EXPLAINED it to them.
Literally… to ‘open the mind or cause understanding’
• He provided very sound and clear answers and reasons. He gave them not just the WHAT but more importantly the WHY!
Luke 24.31 “Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
#3 He DEMONSTRATED that the Christ had to suffer & rise again.
Literally… ‘to set the table’
• He closes with the truth so clearly laid out that all one had to do was reach out and taste and see that the Lord is good!
• Probably opened Isa. 53, Ps. 22, Ps. 16…
#4 – Finally, he ROOTED everything from & in the Word!
• All of this was done from the Word, in the Word, and through the Word. It was the only foundation from which to speak!
PARENTS: these are important ingredients for a healthy home.
APP: As these are put together, they give us tremendous insight on how to become more effective as parents.
• It can’t be the ‘do as I say not as I do attitude’. Doesn’t work!
• Our kids are looking for examples, walking illustrations.
• Reason, explain, and demonstrate the truth revealing the Word of God to our kids.
APP: That’s why all of our Children’s & Youth Ministries are centered solely upon the Word of God.
• We’re not trying to entertain the kids or play with them.
• Our main goal is to GET THE WORD OF GOD INTO THEM.
• NOW I believe we need to be interesting and relevant but let’s face it guys, the world can out perform us, out entertain us, and out spend us in keeping out kids BUSY BUSY BUSY.
• BUT we can out do the world a billion-fold by feeding our kids the word of God.
• That’s all they need, prayer, the word, and good solid spiritual fellowship!
APP: NOW For you personally (PARENT OR NOT), the same is true for you as the kids: Only God’s Word will penetrate your life!
Acts 2:42 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
• Seminars & conferences are great.
• Bible study tapes & CD’s, books and magazines are good.
• Godly counsel and insight points us in the right direction.
• BUT ONLY THE WORD OF GOD that makes a lasting impact!
2. (4) Some believed.
a. It wasn’t because Paul was an excellent speaker!
1 Cor. 1.1-2 “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
b. It was because He presented Jesus to them.
2 Peter 1:1-3 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue…”
• We don’t have to be experts in counseling, or solving problems, or even excellent speakers. Just share JESUS.
3. (5-6) These men are not happy & accuse of turning world…
a. They set the city in an uproar and attack Jason’s house.
b. This was not a compliment… BUT an accusation. Great!
It’s TRUE ISN’T IT, Man does not see things the way God does!
NOW: From the world’s perspective, apart from their Creator, the world is as it should be, RIGHT SIDE UP.
• So it would be natural to accuse Christians of disrupting.
• NO GOD: They teach our kids that they are mere accidents of time and chance. Their heritage isn’t a God who loves them, but some primordial ooze that could care less!
• ONLY MY LIFE (& A few animals) VALUABLE: SO they kill thousands of babies each year.
• ME FIRST! The world is discarding the value & importance of marriage, replacing it with an anything goes ideal and attitude.
• God’s perspective? Things need to be turned RIGHT SIDE UP!
THOUGHT: I am a bit CONCERNED that Christians are not turning the world upside down any more.
• Instead we see the world flipping the church over on its head.
• With the world selling SELF as the highest PRIORITY, we have seen many indulgent attitudes toward sexuality, marriage, divorce, and holiness shift the movement of the CHURCH.
• Some Churches have left the Word of God and have chased after emptiness and vanity!
This world is plunging into darkness & depravity at a rapid pace!
It’s been said that “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for the righteous to remain silent.”
One note here: What I’m not calling for is an organized boycott or picket rally! That’s easy folks! What’s hard about that?
• NO, I’m encouraging and exhorting you (and ME) to speak the truth of the gospel and live lives that please God!
• Much harder but MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE!
• If that leads you to a boycott or picket line fine but a holy life is first and foremost. If you had to choose, choose holiness!
4. (7-9) Jason stood up for what was right!
a. (7) Of course they are falsely accused again.
b. They were not inciting the riots but teaching the truth.
Thought: The Bible tells us that Satan is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10).
• Anytime you make a decision to stand up for the truth, expect to be accused, expect to have motives questioned, expect opposition.
• (8-9) Jason paid the bail and they let Paul & Silas go.
APP: I’m encouraged with Jason. He put his life and his money on the line for the gospel of Jesus Christ. He expressed a deep love for them and only knew them for 3 weeks!
• It could have been real easy for him to skip out on them.
• Turn to James 2:14-17
• But Instead, Jason did the hard thing and expressed his love:
John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
AND SO ANOTHER CHURCH WAS PLANTED THROUGH Paul.
• Look back at v2, Paul was there for 3 Sabbaths, 3 weeks.
• So, in just 3 weeks, Paul planted a church, established leaders and the ministry took root.
A few years have passed & Paul writes this church for a few reasons.
#1 – PERSONAL He wanted to assure his friends of his love and concern even though he had to leave there quickly.
#2 – DOCTRINAL Some folks had come into confuse this young church teaching false doctrines related to the 2nd coming of Jesus, the rapture of the church, and the resurrection.
#3 –SPIRITUAL He encourages the church to live holy lives in the midst of the rampant immorality around them.
#4 – CORRECTIVE. Some in the church were not respecting the leadership, others were refusing to work, and the church as a whole was being hindered by confusion & disorder.
There’s another powerful theme Paul weaves into every chapter of this book.
• The letters to the THESSALONIANS both emphasize the SOON RETURN of Jesus Christ and how this IMPORTANT DOCTRINE can affect our lives, our churches, our homes, and our ministries!
o 1:10—salvation and assurance
o 2:19–20—soul-winning and service
o 3:11–13—stability in Christian living
o 4:13–18—strength in sorrow
o 5:23–24—sanctification of life
#1 – Guys… We need to seize the opportunities as they come, not hoping for something greater & grander!
• Paul & Silas were in Thessalonica for just 3 weeks!
• They wanted to stay longer but could only stay for a few days!
• Where do you find yourself today? Where have you been placed and to whom has God set you up to reach?
• Are you actively looking for those God has brought you?
ILLUSTRATION: One Mercedes Benz TV commercial shows their car colliding with a cement wall during a safety test. Someone then asks the company spokesman why they do not enforce their patent on the Mercedes Benz energy-absorbing car body, a design evidently copied by other companies because of its success. He replies mater-of-factly, "Because some things in life are too important not to share."
#2 – We must never despise the days of small things!
• Paul is seeing salvation occur one at a time NOT THOUSANDS.
We find this in Zechariah:
• The Jews come back to Jerusalem & for almost 12 years the rebuilding of the temple was only half completed.
• This greatly discourages the governor Zerubbabel.
• God sends the prophet Zechariah with a message: Zech. 4.6-10
• As you look at this work in Thessalonica, it was a small beginning. Paul begins to love one person at a time. The work of God was accomplished and much more would come out of it.
• IT WOULD GROW!
• When you look at the spread of Christianity it is staggering when you think it started with Jesus and 11 haphazard Jews. He would train them, help them, and send them out. Small beginnings but such a work and canvassing of the earth.
Some of the greatest works of God start very small.
• Perhaps God is working small in your life right now…
• Be patient and faithful… God is doing a GREAT WORK!
• And the NO’s of God can lead us into some very exciting, fruitful things as we trust in the Lord in all things!
