Living Out Your Faith in the Community of the Saints

1 (3s): Good morning, everyone. So glad to be with you on this Sunday morning, after Christmas in a different situation than what we had anticipated, but we're glad to be with you to be, to be celebrating our Lord this morning. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, but let's open with a word of prayer here now, and we'll worship together, even though we're not, not physically here, the spirit we are all together. So let's pray. Jesus. We thank you. And we praise you that we can have this marvelous season to celebrate you, help us Lord Jesus to get our, our minds and our hearts away from all of the creature comforts around us and the celebration and all the, the things that are are leftover from these past few days. 1 (58s): And just focus in on you today. The Lord, the cry of our heart is that you would be exalted, that you would be lifted up, that you would be worshiped above all things, and that you would be recognized as Lord of glory, the God who, who holds all things together. The one through whom creation came to be, and the one who will bring everything to a culmination at the end of the age. So we come to worship you. Now Jesus empower us by your spirit and be glorified in our hearts this day in Jesus name, we pray amen. 0 (1m 41s): , , all the choices, but our hope in Jesus this morning that is hurting today. 0 (12m 45s): God, that she would fill it with your joy and with hope where there's been discouragement and despair. Turn our mourning into dancing today. right. 0 (13m 10s): celebrates you this morning. 0 (16m 38s): So grateful that you are joy. Our hope, our peace, our reassurance, and shifting sands. God, you hold a steady and you are always with this. Thank you for your presence. That is Hebrew in our midst this morning. And every household watching merely know your love. Would you continue to speak to our hearts, help us to receive all the gifts that you have for us today. All the promises that you want to secure deep in our hearts this morning, let every heart repair you room this day and every day, 1 (17m 30s): Good to worship the Lord and that great when we can get together. And even if it's just in our hearts and spirit to come in to the presence of God, with other believers and rejoice in his presence, we're so glad to have all of you with joining us online today. It's just one of those times when we, we have to be flexible in our approach to, to worship in these days of COVID and the days of, of pandemic and holidays and people traveling and, and just insecurities and unsure. It is about life in this time of trial. 1 (18m 15s): But as we gathered together today, we still gather in the presence of all mighty God. We still gather to worship him. And we're so appreciative of your patience with our changes in the services this week, having last minute to cancel our, our Christmas Eve services and do those virtually to, to change this to a virtual service this morning, we just really thank you for your willingness to, to flex with us on this. We would typically have in-person Church, but with the increase of COVID we're having to back off and, and do this a little differently than we'd anticipated. 1 (18m 56s): So we're foregoing in-person gatherings for this week. The Church office is closed this week. It normally would have been, but even so we're, we're still trying to abide by what the guidelines are yet at the same time, while not allowing those guidelines to take us away from worshiping our Lord. We'll keep you posted in regard to next Sunday service, we'll have to kind of again, play it by ear, seeing where we are and how things are going. So watch our social media platforms the week weekly email update, you know, whether it's you go on to see our Facebook page or our website or our Harvest app, you'll find it. 1 (19m 40s): And if you're not currently receiving our equally, we mail a weekly equally we mails weekly emails. Please send your email address to info at AIG Harvest dot org. And we will get you included on those that weekly email blast that goes out next Sunday. We're planning on having a special speaker, the president of the Pacific justice Institute, Brad Degas will be speaking at Harvest. Now you say, why are we having a lawyer in the pulpit next week? And the thing is, this lawyer is an evangelist. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true. 1 (20m 22s): This guy is he's a really effective in this communication of the gospel. And, and we're just looking forward to having him be with us next week. Putt, just Pacific justice Institute. PGI is a legal defense organization that works to support churches and church leaders and their members by providing crucial help and resources to preserve their mission and project protect our religious liberties. And it should be a really dynamic service. So definitely plan to join us next Sunday, January 3rd, hard to believe that next Sunday is 2021. 1 (21m 2s): Winter life groups are kicking off mid January. There's an awesome lineup of groups that you can look at the weekly email update that's coming out and, and see what's available and what you might like to be a part of and to sign up for a group, head to the connect link on the app or the website, and let us know, and we'll contact you with more details. And again, just a final reminder Church office will be closed until January 4th. So a week from tomorrow, the office will be back open again, and we'll be back to our normal schedule. So with that, I'm going to turn this time over to pastor Steve. 1 (21m 45s): He is going to be finishing out the book of first Thessalonians this morning. So if you have your Bible with you, I encourage you to keep it with you, encourage you to bring a with you when we're back in service so that when things go up on the screen, it's great to have the, the, the, the passage go up on the screen, but it's always good to have that Bible in hand. So you can highlight and Mark and take notes and, and put down those special things that are spoken that the Lord speaks to you. So with that, I'm turning it over to pastor Steve, pastor Steve, take it away. Thank you. 2 (22m 21s): I appreciate that very much. Yeah. We're we are in the final Sunday of the year, and it's been, you know, with all of the challenges that we've experienced this year, it's actually been a very good year. Just kinda recapping a few things. We've baptized bunch of people this year. It was just a wonderful year for just people committing their lives to the Lord and deciding to get baptized. We talked last week about our goal to hit, to pay off a third of our second mortgage while we hit that number. It said last Sunday that we needed an additional $34,000 to reach our $120,000 Mark. While we came in the week after that Sunday and asked if we hit our number. 2 (23m 2s): And they said, well, we brought in $34,141. So we brought in everything and just a touch, more that we needed to pay off that first part, that first installment of our second mortgage. So thank you so much for your faithfulness. You guys have been super, super generous this year. It was it's. I think it's our biggest giving year, just in, in terms of Thai gifts and other giving is been off the charts as well, but it's been just a great year for that. We had our biggest Easter outreach gathering ever. It was all virtual online, but we had more people participating watching the service this year from home than we've ever had people in person. 2 (23m 47s): So many wonderful things have happened. So many churches, not just Harvest Church, but so many churches have ramped up their online media presentations so that there were also much more effective in getting the word out. And so that's been one of the upsides, you know, things that maybe we wouldn't have focused on so much if 2020 didn't happen the way 2020 happened, but 2020 happened the way it did. And so we had to ramp up and improve equipment and processes and everything just was really, really good. So I, for all of the negative things that have come out of 2020 with COVID and everything else, there have been amazing, good things as well. 2 (24m 27s): So think about that. Think about what God has done in your life this year and, and be grateful for that. Why don't we pray before we get into first Thessalonians and get into our passage today and, and then we'll jump right in. So as we bow our heads, Lord, we just thank you for this time. Thank you for the opportunity to wrap up this book of the Bible first Thessalonians at the last Sunday of the year. And thank you that we get to go into second Thessalonians here coming in to the new year, and that we'll continue our study through the new Testament Lord, and, and just allow you to speak to us and to teach us. And so God, we commit this day to you and we commit all of 20, 21 to you. We say, Lord, your will be done in the year in that year, as well as we believe that your, your will has been accomplished in this year. 2 (25m 11s): As crazy as that all sounds, we know that your sovereign Lord, so we can trust you Lord. So we, we're going to continue to trust you in 2021 and a prayer that you would encourage people, speak life and grace and truth to each of us. And as we open up the word today, Lord, I pray that your message would be written on our hearts would be in our hearts and minds. And that we'd be, we'd be excited to hear the message and to glorify you in our listening. So thank you Lord. For this time, bless us. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. So it is almost new year's and I always look forward to the time, the times square show every year, you know, you get up and you're watching the show and I'm always expecting a great, great show in every year. 2 (25m 58s): They drop the ball. It's crazy. Every year they drop the ball. All right, one more joke. That was, that was a joke. By the way, if you didn't catch that, the punchline there, one more joke. Knock knock-knock who's there. How we, how are we going to stay up till new year's Eve? I'm so tired. That is terrible, right? It is terrible. So let's skip the jokes now. Forget the jokes and moving right into our texts. First Thessalonians, chapter five, the title of the message. Living Out Your Faith in the Community of the Saints Living Out Your Faith in the Community of the Saints. I say this often that we don't live our lives in a bubble, but everything that we do impacts people around us. 2 (26m 45s): And so what does that look like for us as believers, as followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ. How are we to live our lives as followers of Christ, especially in the Community of the Saints. When I say the community of the Saints, I mean, within the Church Paul's writing in this letter to a church and he's writing to these Church and he's speaking something to us since he's got wisdom for us in our relationships, one to another. So I'm excited to help us understand hopefully, and for myself to get a better grasp on what that means. Living Out our Faith Living Out Your Faith in the Community of the Saints first Thessalonians chapter five verses 12 and 13 says this. 2 (27m 26s): We ask you brothers to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work be at peace among yourselves. This is a difficult passage for pastors to preach, right? I'm essentially preaching a message that says, Hey, respect me, respect me. Right? So it's kind of awkward, but really the truth here is that we are to respect those who are in authority over us in general, but in the church, this is true as well. So pastors, elders, deacons, we have this responsibility to respect leaders and I've learned good leaders. 2 (28m 11s): Don't need to demand, respect, good leaders get respect because they are good leaders. So if you're a leader and you're wondering why you're not getting the respect that you think you should I check yourself, check yourself in and ask the Lord, Lord, where am I not being a good leader? And, and that's the Lord's of direct you. And if you're struggling with your ability to respect your leaders as the Lord, what's going on, why am I struggling to respect this leader, this person in my life, Lord, I want to reflect your word in my attitudes, actions, words, thoughts, and deeds, but I'm having a hard time. So just ask the Lord. Number one, in your notes, respect, esteem, and love your leaders. 2 (28m 55s): That is what God has asked us to do in the scripture. Respect is steam and love Your leader. So this text gives clear instruction. It's not ambiguous at all. It's very clear. We have this responsibility to respect esteem and love our leaders, but this isn't new information throughout the scripture. We see that we're supposed to respect those who are in authority over us in Exodus chapter 18. It says to honor father and mother in Hebrews chapter 13, it says, obey your leaders and submit to them. And in first Corinthians 16, it says, be subject to and give recognition to spiritual leaders. 2 (29m 36s): We have this responsibility, we see it throughout the old Testament and the new Testament. We have this responsibility, respect. Those who are in authority over us. Now, positionally pastors and elders and deacons are not more important than others, but positionally pastors and elders and deacons will be held accountable to God for the way they lead. So we have this responsibility for those of us who are either pastors or elders or deacons. We have this responsibility as CA, especially pastors and elders. We have a responsibility to honor God in the way that we lead and we will be held accountable for the way that we lead. And so we need you guys to be praying for us. 2 (30m 16s): And Paul addresses that at the end of his letter saying, Hey, pray for us. We need people praying for us that we might lead effectively. We read first Peter five verses one through five. We see kind of a elder's responsibility. And it's a heavy responsibility in first Peter five verses one through five says, so I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder Peter saying, as an elder, I'm speaking to the elders as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed shepherd. The flock of God, that is among you shepherd. We have this responsibility to exercise oversight says exercising oversight, not under compulsion, not because you have to, but willingly as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock and verse four, having done this well, having done this well when the chief shepherd appears you will receive the unfading around of glory when the chief shepherd appears it. 2 (31m 28s): And that's true for all of us, actually, we're all going to be giving a, given an account for our lives and we'll be receiving gifts or not rewards or not based on how we've lived our lives. It says here, and when the chief shepherd appears speaking about the coming of Christ, the return of Christ, just as a side note in first Thessalonians in every chapter, mostly at the end of every chapter, there's, there's a verse or two that talks about the return of Christ. That's kind of the, the, the running theme throughout the whole book of first Thessalonians. You see it in after one verse 10, chapter two verse 19 chapter three, verse 13, chapter four, verses 16 through 18. 2 (32m 14s): And in this chapter, chapter five verses 23 and 24. So you see that theme of the return of Christ. Jeremy talked about that when he covered the last portion. And so we see this theme, Jesus is coming, he will return. And when he returned, we will give an account for our lives. What we'll have to stand before the Lord and give an account for the way that we've lived. Our lives. Let's continue. Verse five, likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Now, traditionally elders are older, older men, older people who have lived some life and have some spiritual depth and understanding. 2 (32m 56s): So we sing, likewise, you, you who are younger, be subject to the elders, clothe yourself, all of you with humility toward one another for God opposes the proud that we're to poses means to set himself against. We never want to live in such a way that God is against us, that he sets himself against us. We want him for us. So God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble that grace is his favor and his acceptance. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble elders. And pastors have a responsibility to lead with humility. And those who are under in this case, younger people, but all who are under the authority of an elder, a pastor had the responsibility to submit to, and to esteem those who are in authority over them, elders and pastors have responsibility to lead. 2 (33m 52s): And if a pastor, as the leader, doesn't lead, that person is not doing their job. Our job is to lead. And boy, what a difficult season to lead in right through this whole 2020 with COVID and all of the changes. It seems like every day, it's a little bit different than it was the day before every week, for sure, a little bit different than it was the week before. And so we've had to be very flexible. Kind of, of the statement that we use often around here is blessed are the flexible for, they will not be broken. We've had to be super flexible, paying attention to what's going on in the culture, but also listening to what God is telling us. And boy, every church leader. 2 (34m 33s): And I know a lot of them on the central coast, every one of us are doing their very best. I don't know anybody. Who's just taking this in stride. And he was just being flippant about their decisions. Every one of us is leading on our knees. We're prayerfully thinking about what we're doing and we're asking the Lord for wisdom. So it's our job to lead. And we've had a multitude of counsel around us. It's helping us to make those decisions. It's our job to, to lead and make difficult choices. There are difficult parts to leading. And part of that difficulty is sometimes we have to bring correction. 2 (35m 13s): It says, says in the verse that we're actually to admonish people who are in need of it, that sort of correction. According to our opening verses actually churches, leaders, church leaders, job to admonish to bring correction. We have to work to be humble and respect and esteem our leaders. When especially they're bringing correction to us, it's Def difficult to receive correction and admonishment. It's it's uncomfortable, uncomfortable, honestly, for me to even talk about it because it's, doesn't usually reap a good reward. It doesn't usually, it's not usually fruitful when a leader admonishes someone in their care. 2 (35m 58s): Honestly, often that person ends up leaving the church, misunderstanding the heart of a pastor there's misunderstandings when there's correction that is needed to be brought to people and, and they get their feelings hurt. And I think it's comes from just the lack of understanding about what the job of a pastor is. It's our job to lead and to teach and to lead by example and to humbly and love lovingly admonish, people who are in need of admonition. And so listen, if, if, if you're being admonished or corrected by somebody who's in authority over you, I would just encourage you to receive it with humility and know that boy again, I'll say this with the broad brush stroke, every pastor that I know is wanting to bring correction with just the greatest amount of compassion and love. 2 (36m 54s): Sometimes it doesn't come across that way because in our humanness, we just make mistakes, but it's never in my mind, a pastor's heart and desire to hurt somebody with admonition verse 14. And we urge you brothers admonish, the idol, encourage the faint-hearted help the weak be patient with them all. So it's not just a leader's job actually to admonish, but it's the church's job. Individual's job within the church to admonish one another verse 15 says, see that no one repays anyone for evil, evil for evil, but all we seek to do good to one another and to everyone. So Living, Out, Your, Faith in the Community of the Saints number one, respect esteem and love Your leaders. 3 (37m 39s): Number two, serve 2 (37m 41s): One another. How do we serve one another? Well, the text actually tells us how we are to serve one another. All Christians have a four part ongoing and continuous responsibility to one another. Number one, according to the scripture, it's our job to admonish the idol. We all have duties and responsibilities within the body of Christ. We have practical duties duties to our families and to our churches and to the people in our lives. We have spiritual duties. We have duties to the Lord and to the Church things that God has asked us to do things that God has called us to do. 2 (38m 23s): And so we're actually to admonish those who aren't doing, the things that God has called them to do. So maybe, maybe you're in the church and you're being idle, not doing the thing that God has asked you to do. So I want to admonish you with the heart of God right now, the church needs you. The church needs you operating in your gifts, using the gifts and talents that God has given you within the body of Christ. And if you're not doing your part than the church is missing out and not nearly as effective or fruitful because you're not doing your job. So don't minimize your role and your responsibility within the church, figure out what God has asked you to do and get busy, doing what God has asked you to do. 2 (39m 9s): It's the most fulfilling and gratifying thing that you'll ever find yourself doing in life, doing what God has asked you to do. So I'm lovingly admonishing you in the body of Christ. If you're sitting around and you haven't a figured out what you're supposed to do, figure it out and then get busy doing that. Or if you know what you're supposed to do, but you're just not doing it. Maybe because you're busy or your priorities are to where they should be, or you're just being lazy. Then just acknowledge that and just tell the Lord I've been busy or lazy or whatever. My priorities haven't been in the right place. And God, I'm going to get busy in 2021, doing what you've asked me to do. So that's just a, a subtle admonition to you to get busy because God has equipped you. 2 (39m 56s): He has given you gifts and talents to be used within the body of Christ and to be used within the world for his glorious purposes, for your good and for his glory. Amen. So first Thessalonians four 11 and 12 instruct Christians how to live. And we just looked at this verse. I think last week it says live quietly gives us kind of three things to do live quietly. It says that I think because idle people tend to stir up trouble. They have too much time on their hands. And so he says, the verse says, live quietly, mind your own affairs and work with your hands. As we instructed you, you have this responsibility to live quietly, mind your own affairs. 2 (40m 42s): That means don't metal in the end, the end of the line lives of others and work with your hands. As we instructed you, you have this crazy responsibility within the kingdom to do what God has asked you to do so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one that's first Thessalonians, four, 11 and 12. So all Christians have four ongoing and continuous responsibilities to one, another. Number one, admonish, the idol. Number two, encourage the fainthearted. Some are just easily discouraged and their Faith and it's our job to encourage one another, to pray with them and to help them. So in the body of Christ, we have this responsibility to get to know people so that we might know how they're doing that. 2 (41m 25s): We might speak into their lives and encourage them. This has been a discouraging year and probably more times this year than in any time up to this point, I've had to encourage the faint hearted and say, Hey, God's in control. He's sovereign. And we've been doing that with each other within the body of Christ, encouraging one another to stand firm, not to give up, encouraging people in their faith to stand firm and a trust the Lord. And then we're supposed to help the weak. According to the verse, help the weak, the weak in faith are usually those who have a hard time leaning on the Lord and they still lack strength. And so we have a responsibility to know what's going on in people's lives to help those who are weak with the goal, that that person would always be weak, but that person will, will grow in the Lord and become strong in the Lord and learn how to lean on the Lord and not necessarily need to reach out to somebody every time they're feeling weak. 2 (42m 27s): I've got a grandson who was born premature, and just this week, I think it was this week. He took his first steps. He's two years old and took his first steps. And, and we've been kind of waiting for this. He's been making progress slow because he was born 94 days early, but he's been making progress and we've been patient with his progress. And, and now that he's up and walking, we're so excited for him because we've been waiting for this moment because we know that while he was born 94 days early, and he's taking a little more time to develop, we knew that he would be walking eventually. And to see him walk has really been exciting. 2 (43m 8s): It's God's desire that you would walk as well. I think some of us crawl way too long in our faith. We, we depend on others way too long in our faith in God's designed is that we would stand up and that we would learn to walk on our own two feet and not be so dependent on others, but that we would lean on the Lord moving forward as followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ, finding great strength in him. So if you've been crawling for a long time and you feel like you're ready for the next stage in your life and your development, then just ask the Lord, Lord, I want to walk. Or maybe you've been walking for a while, but you want to run as the Lord say, Lord, I want to run. And then just begin to invest yourself in the things of God and watch your strength increase. 2 (43m 51s): You'll go from crawling to walking from running to, or from walking to running. And, and you'll become the strong person that you desire. Strength won't happen, unless you're about growing that those muscles in your life, you need to set that goal for yourself and become strong. Maybe 2021 is gonna be the year that you become stronger than you've ever become. And I want to encourage you in that because God has great stuff in store for you. There's nothing to be fearful about in your growing. Just continue to keep your eyes on him, stay humble and watch how the Lord will use you. As you grow in your 4 (44m 29s): Strength, your strength 2 (44m 32s): Will come as Your spend daily time with him as you trust him. Strength. I was thinking about this the other day, strength happens as we daily gather manner. Remember the kid that the children of Israel on the wilderness, they had to daily go out and gather Manoj, and they couldn't save it for the next day because it would go bad. It would turn to worms. And so every morning they had to go out and gather manna so that they would have their sustenance for the day. And I thought, why, why is it that every day I have to get up and read the Bible again? Why does it every day that I have to get up and re read and pray some more? 2 (45m 12s): Why doesn't it last longer? And I just had this revelation recently that this is God's design. I believe this is God's designed to keep us dependent on him. It's much like having a meal. You know, I can eat breakfast today, like I did, but by tomorrow, I'm ready for breakfast again. So there's natural, natural hunger and, and, and a filling. And then there's a spiritual hunger and a filling. And as we allow the Lord to do what he wants to do, we find ourselves getting filled. And as we find ourselves being filled spiritually, we find ourselves being strengthened in the power of his might, and then there's growth. But imagine if I had breakfast today and then waited to have breakfast again, till the next Sunday, I'd be pretty hungry, right? 2 (45m 58s): That'd be pretty, pretty hungry. It's because that's not the design that we would have one breakfast a week. It would start. That's the design that we'd have a breakfast every single day that we'd have meals every single day. So if you're feeling faint, hearted and weak, learn to trust the Lord turned to him to find strength, to open up your Bible and be filled with the power of the Holy spirit, make that your daily priority and watch your step 4 (46m 22s): Strength returned to you. Watch your strength returned to 2 (46m 26s): Sometimes I'll be a little lazy in the morning. And I won't get to my Bible readings till about 10 or 11 or noon. And I think on Christmas day, I didn't get to it till about two o'clock. And, and I just felt kind of like I was out of step with things until I took the time to read and kind of get nourished in my spirit. There's just good things that God wants to do as we nourish ourselves in him. And then the final thing that we have to do as believers is we have to be patient with everyone, be patient with them. I'll be patient with everyone. And really all of these four things require that we're patient, right? What's the opposite of patience. 4 (47m 0s): It's irritability, anger, arrogance judgment, 2 (47m 9s): W w the opposite of patience is all of the ugly stuff in life. Patients is a beautiful thing. And when we exercise patience with one another, when people exercise patients with us, demonstrate patients with us, man, it's just a beautiful thing. It gives us opportunity to grow. It gives us an opportunity to figure out who are in Christ and, and we're able to do the things that God has asked us to do. But the opposite of that is irritation, judgment, anger, arrogance, all of these ugly things. And so maybe God's working in you this year, the patients, and someone said, never asked for patients, because God will give you plenty of opportunities to, to exercise patience. 2 (47m 50s): And so you just know that patience is part of life and developing patients as part of developing your spiritual life and out of patients, you'll be able to administer more effectively, because when you're in inpatient with people, you can't minister to people you disagree with. When you're in patient with people, you can't minister to people that you don't really, that you're having a hard time loving God wants to develop within you patients so that you can minister to those around you and such. You become mature as a follower of the Lord, Jesus Christ. So find the grace. You need to serve people by keeping a tender heart, but at the same time, when it's, when it's right at Monesh, the idol do the hard things that God has asked you to do. We are to lovingly walk with one another and help each other grow. 2 (48m 32s): That's just what the scripture says here in first Thessalonians. Living, Out, Your, Faith in the Community of the Saints number one, respect esteem and love your leaders. Number two, serve one another. And number three, live as spirit filled. Yeah. Godly people. How do we do that? How do we live a spirit-filled godly people. We just ask God for it. Do you? I mean, that's just, and then we need to ask for all the time, multiple times throughout the day, Lord, I, I need to be filled with your spirit. And I think much like the manna for the day and being spiritually filled every day, we need to be asking the Lord constantly for his presence. We need God to come into our lives and help us to do the things that the scriptures told us to do. 2 (49m 14s): Well, what does that look like? Well, when we are filled with the spirit of God and we're godly people, our behavior will demonstrate that that's true. Our demo, our behavior will actually change. It will be transformed. I've watched the habit in my life. I've watched that happen in friends' lives. When a person is filled with the Holy spirit and they're living godly in Christ Jesus there, their actions actually reflect. And they begin to do with the verses in this, in this passage, talk about verse 16 says Joyce always, that's the verse. Rejoice always, man, for some. And for me, it's been hard to rejoice this year and I've had to be intentional. 2 (49m 59s): It had to be intentional about thinking about all of the good stuff that God has done. And that's why I opened the, the, the sermon this morning, the way that I did, because God has done some really good stuff. And so we don't rejoice in COVID, but we rejoice that God is faithful in the midst of a pandemic that he is loving in the midst of a pandemic. We can rejoice that he's never left us in the midst of this pandemic, but he's been faithful and good to us, even in spite of the pandemic. So we rejoice always. And so maybe you're in a really, really hard season of your life. Maybe you've lost someone due to COVID and maybe you've lost your job or your business. I don't know how you rejoice, but I know God knows how you rejoice in moments like that and seasons like that. 2 (50m 42s): And so ask the Lord, Lord, you said that I'm supposed to rejoice always. What does that look like in my season? I think the most effective thing that we can do, the most important thing that we can do when we're going through hard times is to keep an open heart and an open mind to the Lord. Sometimes we just shut down and we get angry at the Lord, ask him, Lord, how do I obey this verse? Rejoice. Always. What does that look like in my circumstance with my situation? Rejoice always emits the hard stuff. What God, what has God done in you this year? What good stuff has he done in you this year? Maybe start with that and just begin to make a list. 2 (51m 24s): Well, God, I've learned to trust you this year. Like, 4 (51m 27s): Like never before 2 (51m 30s): Lord. I I've learned to believe 4 (51m 32s): You, 2 (51m 34s): Lord. I've learned to lean on you instead of on others, because I haven't had others to lean on 4 (51m 39s): On 2 (51m 42s): Lord. I've watched you minister, like maybe I've never seen before as people have been desperate during this season. So thank you for that Lord. And just ask the Lord how you might rejoice in him and then do that rejoice always. And then verse 17 says, pray without ceasing, listen, none of this stuff can be done unless we're spirit filled, seeking to be godly. People seeking to be spirit filled, godly people, rejoicing always pray without ceasing. How do we do that? I think if we're not careful, we can go a day or few days or a week without ever praying without ever really inter engaging God in prayer. And I think God, I don't think that's God's design. 2 (52m 23s): In fact, I know it's not God's design because he tells us pray without 4 (52m 26s): Ceasing. So 2 (52m 28s): Spiritual health is, is prayer. Prayer is to spiritual health is breathing is to physical health. We have to pray on a regular basis. And so what do you pray about it? I don't think you have to pray about what socks you're going to wear. You can't, I suppose, but you don't have to pray about that kind of stuff necessarily, but there are important things throughout the course of your day that you do need to be praying about, pray about your attitude at work, your relationship with your spouse or with your kids or with your grandkids. Pray about your financial decisions, pray about all kinds of stuff. Pray when you're being tempted. Pray when you're angry, pray when things aren't going well, you just continue to come before the Lord and pray without ceasing. 2 (53m 11s): I think that's how the apostle Paul got through his life and ministry. I believe that he prayed without ceasing. He did what God asked him to do and what he recorded here in first Thessalonians prayed. He prayed without. So how's your prayer life. I was talking to a guy who just recently went through a really, really horrific sort of personal circumstance. And he said during that whole time, I never even considered praying. And I was surprised by that because this is a godly guy, but he had just in his words, he kind of fell asleep spiritually and he'd stopped praying. Like he knew that he should pray. And through the circumstance of his life, he realizes, he realized that he was asleep spiritually. 2 (53m 55s): He still knew the Lord and still was saved, but spiritually, he just was kind of, well, he was asleep. Maybe you're asleep spiritually. And God's trying to awaken you this year today. Maybe God's trying to awaken you, you will awake. And when you begin to bring God into the midst of every circumstance of your life, when you begin to pray and when you pray without ceasing. So it just simply means, I think, pray whenever there's a need, pray whenever there's a thought to pray, pray, whatever you're going, pray through whatever you're going through and just watch what the Lord will do with your life. And then it says in verse 18, give thanks. It's kind of like verse 16, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you give thanks in all circumstances. 2 (54m 41s): So back to, you know, you kind of figure that out as you figure out how to rejoice, always give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you, Lord. How do I give thanks. I don't want to give, thanks for this is a tough season. The tough circumstance. How do I give things and watch what the Lord will do with your soul, with your heart? When you choose to offer up a sacrifice of Thanksgiving, the sacrifice of praise give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. And the number 19 verse 19 says do not quench the spirit. How do you quench the spirit? 2 (55m 23s): Well, when you don't do with the spirit asks you to do you're quenching the spirit. So if God's asked you to do something, do what he's telling you to do. And don't quench the spirit. As I was at my house yesterday, I felt like Laura was trying to get my attention about something. And I felt like the Lord communicated something to me where maybe I quenched the spirit. Cause I wasn't paying attention to what he would have me to do in the certain area of my life. I said, Lord, I don't want to quench your spirit. I don't want to miss on what miss out on what you have for me. So Lord, would you help me next time to pay attention so that I do what she had me to do. It was kind of a, maybe a synable mission or just not paying attention. 2 (56m 6s): And we can quench the spirit by just not paying attention by just not listening to what the Lord's saying and not really caring about what he has to say. So we're told, do not quench the spirit. The spirit of God is the third person of the Trinity he's co-equal with the father and the son. And he deserves our honor, our worship and our obedience. So don't quench the spirit quenching the spirit will quench Your Faith punching the spirit will CA will quench Your your Christianity and it will make you, it will make you powerless in Jesus. It will make you powerless to do what God's asked you to do. So don't quench the spirit, do not despise prophecies, but test everything. Hold fast to what is good. 2 (56m 47s): I can't tell you how many times somebody's word of prophecy to me has helped me. I'm talking about new Testament. The new Testament give to prophecy where a person gets a word from the Lord and speaks something to me. Often, a person with the gift of prophecy actually has the gift to interpret dreams as well. They just have this capacity to hear from the Lord, interpret dreams, speak prophetically over a person's life. And I can't tell you how many times the prophetic people in my life have, have been a blessing to me. Sometimes we despise prophecy because we don't understand. We don't understand the prophet, the person, and we don't understand their gift. 2 (57m 28s): And so we just don't want anything to do with them. I believe in we believe that prophecy continues. It's different than the old Testament use of prophecy, but it's, there's a new Testament use of prophecy that is very effective and fruitful for the church. And so don't despise prophecies. Even if you don't understand it, just ask the Lord, what is it, Lord that you're trying to help me to understand? What are you, what is it that you want me to understand about this gift, this spiritual gift, and then test everything. So you don't not to take a prophet's word in the new Testament sense of a prophetic word as directly as voice from the Lord necessarily. But usually it'll be a word that confirms what God has already said to you and communicates a edification to you as a follower of the Lord. 2 (58m 12s): Jesus Christ. I think we despise prophecies. I think when we despise prophecies, we quench the spirit. And then in verse 22, it says abstain from every form of evil. Well that's wide open. Isn't it abstain from every form of evil. Not, not a lot to say about that. Just figure out what's what God would have you to abstain from and abstain from every form of evil. And I bet there's probably something there that if we prayed, God would show us that we weren't really paying attention to before that Living Out, Your, Faith in the Community of the Saints number four, allow God to complete his work of sanctification in your life. There's a process of sanctification. 2 (58m 53s): So salvation comes when we believe on Christ and he comes and he forgives our sins and he adopts us into his family and he takes up residency in our life. But then there's a process called sanctification verse 23 says, now may the God of peace himself sanctify. You completely may. The God of peace himself sanctify you completely like through and through and may your whole body spirits and soul and body be kept blameless that the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, he who calls you is, and he will surely do it. So God has the process of a, there's a process of sanctification. I think sometimes we, we compartmentalize our lives. We allow God in most areas of our life, but we've got our area, our life kind of compartmentalized, and God wants to break into every area of your life and bring sanctification. 2 (59m 42s): Sanctification means to be set apart, to make Holy. And so he wants to sanctify. You make set you apart and make you Holy in every arena of your life. And number five, consider others in everything you do. This is how we live in our faith community. With the, with the Community of the Saints consider others' in everything you do. And then Paul wraps up this book in this chapter with verse 25, where he says brothers, pray for us. Sometimes, you know, you think about Paul and all of the work that he did and all of the, you know, writing that he accomplished and the mission missionary journeys. 2 (1h 0m 23s): And you think, man, Paul should be praying for me, but man Paul saying, I want you to pray. He's saying to that, that first century church brothers pray for us, pray for our work. He understood that without the Saints praying that they'd be opening themselves up for danger. So he says, pray for us, consider others in everything you do. Who do you need to pray for? Do you, you need to pray for your spiritual leaders. I'm asking you to always to pray for me and to, for the elders and pastors of our church, but also pray for those in your life who needs salvation or who need a healing or who need a touch from the Lord and watch what God will do for others. 2 (1h 1m 4s): Pray, consider others and everything you do. Then verse 26 says greet all the brothers with a Holy kiss. We joke about that verse a lot, right? And COVID, we can't actually do that. People are afraid if you get within six weeks, eight of them. So we can't actually greet people with a Holy kiss, but there's implied. There's implied relationship and connectivity there where we're saying, Hey, we need one another within the body of Christ. This is why it's so important that we gather as the church. And so if during this time we're meeting online, you can gather some people around you when you're having Church within your home. Whether it's your family or people within your sphere of influence people that you're already around. 2 (1h 1m 47s): And if you can do it safely and gather with people, there's we there's an implied need. Here. We, we need one another. I need you. You need me, you need one another Sigrid, each other, greet all the brothers with a Holy kiss. And then he gives some pretty strong language in verse 27. He says, I put you under, under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. So this, this letter and all of the letters, Paul wrote are pretty important. And so he's saying, Hey, read these out. And then he says the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ be you. And that's how he wraps up first Thessalonians the book and then the chapter. 2 (1h 2m 27s): And so we've got so much to be grateful for this year. As we wrap up 2020, I would just encourage you to think about what you're grateful for. Be thankful, ask the Lord to give you a thankful heart and watch what he will do with that heart of gratitude. As you get into the new year with that, I'm going to pray and we're going to invite the worship team to come forward and we'll sing a few more songs and worship the Lord together. So Lord, we bow our heads in prayer. We thank you for this time. We thank you, God, that you are faithful. And Lord, we just invite you to continue to speak to us as we worship. And I pray that this message would go out on the worldwide web Lord and speak to those. 2 (1h 3m 8s): You designed it to speak to you and that people would listen and that people would be blessed as they have Lord. So thank you for this time in Jesus name. Thank you, Lord. Amen. Amen. Let's worship. 0 (1h 3m 20s): Hey man. So good. Well father, we do worship you this morning. We'll give you our hearts moving worse, worse, worse, worse, seen again. 0 (1h 4m 9s): 5 (1h 7m 2s): I don't see it's your work. He even went. I don't feel that you can never stop. Never stop, never stop, never stop. Or even when I don't see the work, he never stop. Never stop. 0 (1h 7m 28s): 5 (1h 10m 51s): Thank you for this time that we've had to gather together. Thank you for your presence that has been here in our MIS in this time. And I just pray as we enter into the new year this week, God, you would stir our hearts just with passion or for the things of your heart. God, that you would give us dreams and things to accomplish the year ahead to expand your kingdom, to extend your love to the world around us. And just as Steve is talking about living out that purpose, the reason that you made a sky, just pray that this would be at different County year for us ahead, God, that you would stir hope where there's just spent lots of discouragement this year. 5 (1h 11m 33s): How would you stir into stoke that fire of hope and passion in our hearts again? So we look forward to what you want to do in and through us individually, what you want to do in and through us as a church family. And so God, we just invite you to come into our MIS to give us all that we need to strengthen us deep on the inside. You are the well that never runs dry. So thank you that we can tap in to your spirit for all that we have need of in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Church show good to be with you virtually online. We love you guys. We miss seeing your faces here in person. 5 (1h 12m 13s): We send our left from this place. Pray that you have a wonderful, happy new year. Stay safe, stay healthy, and we'll see you again next Sunday. God bless. Yes.