INTRO.- ILL.- A site foreman had ten very lazy men working for him, so one day he decided to trick them into doing some work for a change.
"I’ve got a really easy job today for the laziest one among you," he announced. "Will the laziest man please put his hand up." Nine hands went up.
"Why didn’t you put your hand up?" he asked the tenth man. "Too much trouble," came the reply.
ILL.- Through a scheduling mix up, a man and a woman who have never met before find themselves in the same sleeping carriage of a train. It’s late, the train is full, and everyone else is already asleep. After the initial embarrassment, they both manage to get to sleep; the woman on the top bunk, the man on the lower.
In the middle of the night the woman leans over and says, "I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m awfully cold and I was wondering if you could possibly pass me another blanket."
The man leans out and, with a glint in his eye, says, "I’ve got a better idea ... let’s pretend we’re married."
"Why not," giggles the woman. "Good," he replies. "Get your own blanket."
ILL.- The sign in the store window read: NO HELP WANTED. As two men passed by, one said to the other, "You should apply--you’d be great."
There are many lazy people in life. You’ve seen them. I’ve seen them.
ILL.- I remember one fellow who came to work at Safeway one night with alcohol on his breath. I don’t know how much he’d been drinking but he’d consumed some booze. As soon as the manager was out of sight and drove away from the store that stocker got out a lawn chair, which we sold, got in it and went to sleep. I think he slept most of the night and even when he did work, he did little.
Sorry, but he appeared to be a lazy wart. He didn’t last long. I think he was "let go" after a month.
I wonder what how many people would be "let go" in our churches if the Lord decided to cull workers and non-workers?!
Matthew 9:36-38 "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." WORKERS ARE FEW.
John 4:34-35 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ’Four months more and then the harvest’? "I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." TRUE FOR JESUS. TRUE FOR US AS WELL!
John 6:27 "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
God put us here on planet to do more than just make a living and put food on the table.
John 9:4 "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work."
This verse puts Christian work or Christian service in a different light, doesn’t it? We have only so much time in which to do God’s work or serve the Lord. We must "make hay while the sun shines."
We have been chosen for a purpose in life. We are special people with a special purpose in this world.
PROP. - Let’s check out the Thessalonians to see how we got where we are and what we’re supposed to be doing.
1- We are chosen by God
2- We are models for others
3- We are messengers of the gospel
I. WE ARE CHOSEN BY GOD
4For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.
ILL.- Do you know who Kenny Chesney is? He’s a very good country music star/singer. I particularly like his song, "Baptism." Randy Travis sings with him on this one. Here are some of the lyrics.
The summer breeze, made ripples on the pond
Rattled through the rings and the willow trees beyond
Daddy in his good hat, mama in her Sunday dress
Watched with pride, as I stood there in the water up to my chest
And the preacher spoke about the cleansing blood
I sank my toes into that East Tennessee mud
And it was down with the old man, up with the new
Raised to walk in the way of light and truth
I didn’t see no angels, just a few saints on the shore
But I felt like a new born baby, cradled up in the arms of the Lord
Amazing grace, oh how sweet the sound
There was glory in the air, there was dinner on the ground
And my sins went for many, were washed away and gone
Along with a buffalo nickel I forgot to leave at home
But that seemed like such a small, small price to pay
For the blessed peace of mind that came to me that day
It’s a great song. Here’s another. "She Thinks My Tractor`s Sexy." I’m not sure that song and the baptism song go together, however, basically, Kenny Chesney is in it for money. Or fame and fortune. And he’s got both. At the 42nd CMA (Country Music Awards) Chesney won his 4th Entertainer of the Year Award.
CHESNEY WAS AND IS A CHOSEN MAN! How would you like to fill his shoes? I’d take being chosen by God over him any day.
Why? Because Jesus, "What shall it profit a man if he gains the world and loses his soul." I’m not suggesting that Kenny Chesney will lose his soul over his fame and fortune, but it sure makes it a lot harder to be saved when you have those things pulling at you.
Brothers and sisters, we are blessed people! We are special people! We’ve been chosen by God to be saved and live for Him!
How did you and I get chosen by God? We were chosen through the gospel of Christ, meaning, when we chose Christ, we became the chosen ones of God! When we chose Christ, God chose us!
God chooses all who accept His son Jesus Christ as their savior! Paul said, "Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction."
The gospel of Christ is very convicting. Why? Because it’s from God! And God is all-powerful as His Word and His Spirit. Thank God that we got convicted long ago and responded to God’s call through the gospel.
ILL.- One preacher said, "A Christian doctor who presided at a Bible Conference where I was speaking was seated on the front row. I was well into my message when suddenly a voice said, ’Doctor 22, please check with the hospital at once!’ It came from a paging device attached to his belt. The physician got up and left immediately. Although he had told me this might happen, I confess I was momentarily distracted."
What’s the application or moral of the story? When God calls, it is time for action. We are chosen and called.
II. WE ARE MODELS FOR OTHERS
6You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
YOU BECAME A MODEL TO ALL THE BELIEVERS. We’re all in the modeling business, believe it or not!
ILL.- Hollywood is modeling for the American people but what are they modeling? Dr. Phil, Oprah, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Rosie O’Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, etc.
Many of these people model their opulent or extravagant lifestyle for us. They live high, live in expensive houses, travel everywhere and do nearly everything and anything they want because of the money they have. However, some of that could be coming to an end for some of them.
ILL.- Recently, we saw on the TV news where 85 year old Ed McMahon, the longtime sidekick to US talk show host Johnny Carson, has blamed the possible foreclosure of his Beverly Hills mansion on a "perfect storm" of problems facing Americans caught in the housing downturn.
He was $644,000 in arrears on the mortgage for the six bed, five bathroom house in Beverly Hills, which is listed for sale at $5.75 million. McMahon said he had broken his neck in a fall 18 months ago and had been unable to work.
"If you spend more money than you make, you know what happens ... A couple of divorces thrown in, a few things like that ... You want everything to be perfect but that combination of the economy, I have a little injury, I have a situation and it all came together," McMahon said in the interview on "Larry King Live."
I thought, "Oh, come on!" The truth is he’s probably made millions of dollars in his lifetime, which he’s blown in one way or another and now he can’t pay for his big fancy house!
There are not many good models for us in Hollywood and on TV. Ed McMahon is not the worst by any means, however.
WHAT ABOUT US? What are we modeling? The Thessalonians turned from idols to serve the living and true God. What a great testimony and model for us!
WHAT ABOUT US? What are we modeling to our kids, friends, and neighbors? Every Sunday we’re a model when we go to church. And every Sunday we’re a model when we DON’T go to church! We’re a model at Wal-mart, at the bank, in the mall, at work, etc.
BUT WHAT ARE WE MODELING? Is our faith showing? Is our commitment to Christ evident?
9 They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God...
Wow! They turned from idols to serve the living and true God. What a model of right living that is! Is this evident in our lives? Do we choose God and Christ over idols? Over any idol in this world?
Any time we forsake the fellowship of the saints on the Lord’s Day for other things/pleasures, etc. it’s not a good thing. It’s not a good model. And that’s just one example of our failure to turn from idols to serve the living God. We do this in other ways as well. BUT WE ARE MODELS TO OTHERS WHETHER WE WANT TO BE OR NOT.
III. WE ARE MESSENGERS OF THE GOSPEL
8The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.
The Lord’s message rang out from you. What a great testimony of their faith! We need to think about the message we’re preaching, teaching, speaking, witnessing for, etc. What’s our message? What’s my message? What’s your message?
ILL.- I like to fish for bass. Most of the you know this. I don’t go very often, however. Not any more. But I still know a little about fishing for bass and I can generally catch a few bass any time, especially, in a pond. Of course, pond fishing is pretty easy. They are contained in small area. All you have to do is walk the banks and fish.
I could tell you about many different ways to catch a bass, with different artificial baits, etc. BUT IS THIS OUR MESSAGE? Of course not! Even though fishing is not a bad thing to do, it won’t save anybody. It won’t do anybody any eternal good!
Now I might use fishing in order to witness to others and I have, but it’s still not our message. Nor is baseball, basketball, football, or shopping or anything else that we might be interested in and know about. These things are not bad but they are not the message that people need to hear about in order to be saved.
Our message is about Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life and He’s the one we need to be talking about and witnessing for. However, if we can use hobbies to point to Him, so be it.
The Lord’s message rang out from the Thessalonians and had become known everywhere! Wow! What a great church they were! What are our churches known for today? I’ll give credit to Rick Warren and the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. Why? Because they have become known for preaching the message of Christ and reaching out to all people with that message!
And Rick Warren’s book, THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE, has been sold around the world, read by millions, studied in churches and no doubt, has done a world of good to lead people to Christ and to a right relationship with Him.
What about us? What are we known for? Personally and congregationally?
ILL.- When Phillips Brooks was elevated to the position of bishop, the whole city of Boston extended to him congratulations upon the deserving honor. Among the many letters that came to him, was one which Phillips Brooks valued above all others. It was from a tailor who worked in his little shop near the church which Phillips Brooks made famous throughout the world. This was his letter: “Dear Dr. Brooks: I am tailor in a little shop near your church. Whenever I have the opportunity, I always go to hear you preach. Each time as I hear you preach, I seem to forget all about you, for you make me think of God.”
May it be true for all of us that every time we speak or do anything, we would make people think of God.
CONCLUSION------------------------
Someone said there are three kinds of workers. For example, when a piano is to be moved, the first kind gets behind and pushes, the second pulls and guides, and the third grabs the piano stool. WHICH ONE IS YOU?
We’ve been saved to serve, won to win, and told to tell. We’ve been chosen by God in Christ this makes us models and messengers. WE MUST DO OUR BEST AND BE OUR BEST!
