1 THESSALONIANS 2:13-202007 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2007.

He's reminding them again of how much he continues to intercede for them, how much he continues to lift them up before the Lord. He says we continue to do it without ceasing. Why? Well, he says for this reason, and it reminded me of something we studied a couple of weeks ago in chapter one. If you'll look back with me at First Thessalonians chapter one, look at verse two. Paul says, we give thanks to God always for you all.

At the beginning of the book, as we started in chapter 1, we looked at these three things that Paul remembered in the Thessalonians. It was the characteristics of faith, the characteristics of faith,

Love and hope. Faith, love and hope. And in remembering those things in their lives, Paul says, we always thank God for you. And now as we're looking at verses 13 through 20 of chapter 2, I find those same characteristics

discussed and addressed by the Apostle Paul. He deals with the same three subjects, faith, love, and hope, here in verses 13 through 20. And as he does, he remembers again and he continues to thank God for them because of these characteristics that were taking place within the lives of the Thessalonians as well as in the life of the Apostle Paul.

Faith, if you remember, when we studied chapter one, we defined it as obedience to God at his word. And that's going to be important to remember as we look at these verses this morning, verses 13 through 16, dealing with the subject of faith, obedience to God at his word.

Love, if you remember, we defined it as overwhelming concern and desire to serve others. An overwhelming concern for, rather, and desire to serve others. We'll see that in verses 17 and 18 this morning. And then finally, hope, the confident focus on eternity in verses 19 and 20. The Apostle Paul, looking at these three things, but there's a twist. He says,

There's a twist because Paul is writing to them about not the blessings of faith, love and hope, but really the obstacles. Because living in this life, they were dealing with obstacles and persecution and problems and pain. This is one of those passages that

makes it important for us to go through the Bible book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Because if we had a choice, we probably would not want to really delve into this passage too much. We wouldn't want to spend a great amount of time here.

It'd be one of those that we would gladly skip over. But these things are important for us as Paul will be talking about them today. We need the balance to meal, not just the dessert, but the vegetables, maybe the things we don't desire so much, but that are important for us nutritionally. And the same thing for us spiritually. Faith, hope and love.

As we looked at them in chapter 1, it was incredible the things that God did in the Thessalonians as a result of faith, love and hope and how they became an example to all believers and they became a witness and the whole world knew about the work that God was doing in Thessalonica. But we also need to know that apart from the abundant blessings that takes place,

when we're committed to the Lord, when fake love and hope are demonstrated in our lives, there's also the promise of persecution and problems and suffering and pain. Now, it would be nice if we only experienced wonderful things in our walk with God, if we only experienced blessing, if we only experienced, you know, just the wonderful joys of life. But as Paul demonstrates here, faith, hope, and love

They're powerful. They work mightily. God uses them incredibly in our lives. But they come at a cost because we live in a real life with obstacles, pains, and problems. We begin by looking at faith. Again, it's defined as obedience to God at His word. And let's look again at verse 13. It says this,

For this reason, we also thank God without ceasing. Because when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you welcomed it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. This is a great verse to ponder, to meditate on. Paul is talking about the word of God and he says, look, I thank God always.

I think and without ceasing, because when you received the word of God, when we came and preached the gospel message to you, you received it not as the word of men, not as just another philosophy of men or man's opinion, but you received it as it really is the word of God. You welcomed it as the word of God, which works effectively in you who believe.

That's why we thank God, because you received it, you believed it, and so God's word is working effectively. Paul tells them, hey, you welcomed it, not as the word of men, but as the word of God. This word, welcome, I think it's important for us to understand, and we'll touch on it again in a few moments. But it means to accept an offer deliberately and readily. It's to make a willful choice to receive something.

They said, look, you decided in your heart, this is not man's opinion that Paul is sharing with us. But this is God's word to me. God wants to save me. He sent his son to die on the cross for me. This is what God is speaking to me. And so I believe it and I'm going to walk in it.

And it's always exciting when someone takes this attitude towards the word of God, that it's not just man's opinion. It's not just something that was written. It's not just good lessons for us to learn. But this is God's word to me. And I'm going to walk in it. Whenever a person makes that commitment or has that attitude, God is going to work effectively in them because his word works effectively in those who believe.

Now, just to be clear, God did use human instruments. He used Paul to share the gospel message with the Thessalonians. And that's what he's reminding them of. He used Paul to minister to them and share the word with them. He used men to write out the books of the Bible that we have today. But that does not make it the word of men.

This Bible that you hold, it is the word of God. It's not man's opinion. It's not just great stories, good lessons, nice, you know, things on morality. No, this is God's word, God's instruction to you and I to live by, to walk in, to hold on to. This is God's word to us. Second Timothy 3, 16 and 17 says,

Tells us that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. There in 2 Timothy 3.16, Paul tells us all scripture is given by inspiration of God. It was written by men, but inspired by God. It's God's word to you and I.

Peter tells us that prophets never spoke by their own understanding or by their own will, but they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. It was God speaking through the prophets, God writing through the authors of the books of the Bible.

This is God's word. And Paul promises us it's profitable for all kinds of things, for doctrine, for reproof and correction, for instruction and righteousness, that you and I may be complete, thoroughly, completely furnished is what the word means, thoroughly equipped for every good work, having everything that we need, lacking nothing, through the word of God. Now to some, the word of God is living and active.

It's sharper than any double-edged sword. And to others, it's just a book. What's the difference? What's the difference between a person who values and treasures the Word of God, who hears from the Lord, who seeks God, who the Word of God just impacts and dramatically changes their life? What's the difference between them and the person who reads it day in and day out with no change whatsoever? Paul says, "...which also effectively works in you who believe."

The difference between the Bible in one person's life being living and active and powerful and changing their life and another person which reads the Bible and has no effect is belief. The one who believes finds that the word of God is effective and powerful.

The one who believes finds that God will speak to them about their life and their situations, that God will lead them and guide them specifics within their hearts, within their lives as they spend time in the word of God. In Hebrews chapter three and four, the author of Hebrews is talking about the children of Israel and how they had received the word of God, but it didn't profit them anything.

And he says, why didn't it profit them anything? Well, because, he answers his own question for us, it didn't profit them anything. They didn't enter into the promised land. They didn't enter in and receive all that God had for them because even though they had the word of God, they did not have faith. They didn't believe God at his word and therefore they did not obey. Remember, faith is obedience to God at his word. The difference between the believer and the unbeliever

Is whether or not they believe and obey the word of God. The difference between the word of God being a dramatic and powerful impact in your life and it not. Is whether you not or not you believe the word of God. What type of impact does the Bible have in your life? Is it dynamic, deep or dusty?

What's the Bible to you? Dynamic, deep, or dusty? Dynamic meaning powerful, living and active. It changes your life. It speaks to you right where you're at. Or is it deep? You know, it has really challenging thoughts, profound insights, but not really much more than that. Or is it just dusty? You know, it really doesn't mean very much. It doesn't apply to my life, and I don't really understand when I read it.

See, if the Bible is dusty, you have a problem. If you consider the Bible is just deep, then you have a problem. Because it's more than just profound insight. It's living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. The Bible, the Word of God, works effectively in those who believe. And if the Bible is not effectively working in you, you do not believe. Paul says, look, when we came with the Word,

You received it. You welcomed it, not as the word of men, not as just another opinion, maybe contrary to your own or in agreement with your own, but you received it as the word of God. You welcomed it. You deliberately accepted an offer. You deliberately accepted it readily. Well, you took it and said, this is God's word to me.

And when you, as a believer in Jesus Christ, when you as a Christian make a serious commitment to the word of God and you take it and say, this is not the opinion of men. This is not just a book with profound, deep insights, but this is God's word to me. And when you live by it, when you believe it, it will work effectively, powerfully. He will equip you for every good work.

If you really want God to work in your life, if you want to be equipped, devote yourself to God's word and make a choice, make a decision to receive it willingly and deliberately and believe it with all your heart. Also understand that it doesn't happen overnight. It's dynamic, it's powerful, it's living and active. And I'll speak to you, but you need to give him some time.

Some faithfulness in your reading, in your devotional life. You need to give him some faithfulness in your walk. And you'll begin to see God do wonderful things. But here's the thing that we need to know. And this is really what Paul is dealing with. When you make a decision to willingly receive the word of God, that does not mean that your life is going to be a bed of roses. Well, no.

Let me rephrase that. Maybe it will be, but understand the roses still might have the thorns. When you decide to walk with God and receive His Word, understand that that doesn't mean that all problems just go away. Because the Word is working dynamically and it's living and active, that doesn't mean that you have no issues or difficulties or problems or pains. No, on the contrary. You need to know that obedience to the Lord will be costly, so count the cost.

There will be pain. There will be hurt. There will be difficulty. So count the cost. Jesus told that to his followers. Look, I don't have a place to lay my head. If you want to follow me, that's great. But count the cost. It doesn't mean you're going to have all the luxuries of life. It doesn't mean you're going to have all of your wishes fulfilled. Count the cost. To follow me is going to be difficult, Jesus says. Look at verses 14 through 16 here in 1 Thessalonians 2.

Paul says,

Here Paul says, the word of God, you received it. It's working effectively in you because you became imitators of the churches of God in Judea. In what way did they imitate the churches of God? Well, in the way that they were persecuted, just like.

The church is in Judea. The Thessalonians received the word of God. And as a result, they suffered. What types of things did they suffer? Paul says, look, you suffered the same things as the churches in Judea suffered. What did the churches in Judea suffer? Death, persecution and forbidding to speak. Paul says, look, they they suffered death. They killed the Lord Jesus. They killed their own prophets. That's what the Judeans did to those who believed.

They suffered persecution, Paul says, to us. We received persecution. They're living contrary to God and all men. They're not trying to please God. And they forbade us to speak, Paul says. Three areas of suffering for the Judeans as well as the Thessalonians, as well as for Christians today. Forbidding to speak. Persecution, which means to oppress with calamities and death.

The Judean church has suffered in ranges from mild to extreme, some just experiencing the forbidding to speak. As you look through the book of Acts, you can see these sufferings taking place in the lives of the apostles and disciples in the church there in Jerusalem. You can see them taking place as Paul goes throughout all of the known world at that time, suffering as a result of the gospel message of the truth of God.

Sometimes they were forbidden to speak. Sometimes they were oppressed with calamities, destruction, chaos, riots, stonings, lots of problems. Sometimes they were martyred. They died for their faith. Now, Paul also reassures the Thessalonians that the people who inflict the persecution and inflict the suffering, they will be paid back for their opposition to God. He says, "...wrath has come upon them to the uttermost."

So the issue isn't, man, we really need to get those guys back. He says, no, God's already taken care of that. They're storing up wrath for themselves and filling up the measure of their sins. God's going to take care of that. But the issue is, just as it happened in Judea, it happened in Thessalonica. They received the word of God and as a result suffered death, persecution, and forbidding to speak.

Now that is something to seriously consider. If I receive God's word, I may experience one of these levels of persecution. Put yourself in Thessalonica. There Paul has been driven out. There's this group of believers and one of them is your neighbor.

And He's reaching out to you and sharing with you the gospel message. But you see all the things taking place. People dying because they believe this message that they're telling you. People being screamed at and yelled at and riots happening and all kinds of problems and issues. It would cause you to really count the cost and consider, do I want to receive and welcome this message as the message of God? Do I want to receive it and welcome it because I know that if I do...

As I join their ranks, I begin to suffer and experience the same things that they are suffering. Are you willing to obey God at His word even if it costs you your life? Are you willing to obey God at His word even if it means that people will hate you and try to hurt you? Are you willing to obey God at His word even if it means that people will tell you to shut up and forbid you to speak? Or are you only willing to obey God

When it's convenient, when it's easy, when it's nice and fluffy, when there's no problems. We need to count the cost. Jesus promised persecution for his followers. Turn with me to John chapter 15. It's a couple books to the left. The fourth book of the New Testament, John chapter 15.

Jesus in the beginning of John chapter 15 is having a discussion with the disciples and describing to them the vine and the branch relationship, saying that, hey, I'm the vine, just abide in me. You're going to bear much fruit. God's going to be doing great work. And then he goes on to talk about the love that he has and the love to lay down a life for a friend is the greatest love ever.

And he describes himself as having that love. He says, look, in verse 16, you didn't chose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. Jesus is telling the disciples, look, abide in me. I love you. I'm going to die for you. I've appointed you. You're going to do great things for the kingdom of God. But look at verse 18.

If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Verse 20. Remember the word that I said to you. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also.

Jesus, as he's telling his disciples, abide in me, have relationship with me, experience my love. I've chosen you, appointed you. You're going to do great things for the kingdom of God. But understand, just as the world hates me, the world is going to hate you. Did the world hate Jesus? Yes. Did the world persecute Jesus? Yes, absolutely. And so will the world persecute his followers? Yes.

Yes, Jesus promised it. He told us, expect it. If you're following me, expect the world to hate you because the world hated me. Now, if anyone believed my word and anyone walked with me, they're going to be your brother and sister. Don't worry about them. But those who hated me, the world as it hated me, they will hate you and persecute you.

Paul, in talking to Timothy, promised persecution as well. There in 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul says, But you, talking to Timothy, have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, which persecutions I endured, and out of all of them the Lord delivered me.

But he says in 2 Timothy 3.12, Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Here's what Paul says to Timothy. Timothy, you carefully followed my doctrine. You carefully studied and you followed along with the doctrine that I was teaching, the teachings that I gave to you. You found them in the scripture. You taught them. You kept them. You walked in them.

He said, you carefully followed my manner of life and my purpose and faith. All those things make sense. But then he also says, you carefully followed my persecutions and afflictions.

What does that mean? Paul's saying, look, just as you followed me in my doctrine and just as you followed me in my life, just as you applied these things to your life, you experienced the same types of afflictions and suffering and persecution as I did. And not only that, Timothy, but know this, and everybody, we can know this, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Everyone who desires will suffer persecution. All who abide, Jesus says, will suffer persecution. Paul says, all who desire to live godly will suffer persecution. It's a promise for you and I. It's a guarantee to walk with God, to obey him at his word, will result in hurt, pain, suffering, problems,

And this is the real test of your faith. Will you obey God at His word even though it costs? If you really believe it is His word, even though it costs your life, you will be obedient to it. Will you be faithful even in the midst of suffering for the way that you live in obedience to God at His word? Now, for us here at Calvary Chapel Living Water,

Corona, California. This really almost seems like a hypothetical question. We think of maybe like the Columbine situation. Okay, so if someone came in and pointed a gun at you and you, you know, told you to renounce the Lord, would you or would you, you know, would you renounce the Lord? Would you give up or would you stand strong in your faith? And that's the kind of limited understanding that we may have.

But for most of the Christians in the world, and I emphasize that, most of the Christians of the world, it's not a minority of Christians in the world, but most of the Christians in the world, this is a very serious question because it's not just a one-time event that's hypothetical that could possibly happen, that it happens occasionally to people, but it's something that happens to them daily, day in and day out. The church around the world is greatly persecuted.

If you need some examples of that, and I would encourage you to do this, you can check it out. On the back table, I put a black binder with a 2007 report. It's actually from 2006, but it's 2006 top 10 worst countries of persecution for Christians. And it goes through the top 10 and it gives a bunch of different examples of how believers were persecuted this last year.

As a result of believing in Jesus Christ, you can check it out on persecution.org or persecution.com or persecuted church.org. There's a multitude, the voice of the martyrs website, relief international or release international. There's a great work taking place in the world and the enemy is coming against it greatly.

I just want to read to you a couple examples. This is something that happened in China just a couple weeks ago. It says seven police officers made an unprovoked attack on a prominent Beijing house church activist and his mother as the pair walked near the 2008 Olympic Village. Human rights lawyer, a name I can't pronounce, and his 76-year-old mother were kicked to the ground and taken to the Olympic Village police station for questioning.

When he asked for his mother to be released, he was beaten repeatedly and had cold water poured over him. The next day, January 27th, his wife, an evangelist, received a phone call from police informing her that her husband had been sentenced to a month's detention. There has been no official written notification to date, according to China Aid. This guy and his wife are well known in their work.

for their work in helping persecuted and poor Christian from other parts of China who traveled to the capital in search of justice China's commitment to upholding human rights as a part of its Olympic bid has been badly dented in this attack another example from Pakistan what a Christian acquitted of blasphemy, but two more arrested this other guy

Shabazz has been freed from jail after serving five of the 25 years he had been given for blasphemy as two other Christians are arrested on the same charge. Shabazz, 28, was acquitted after a high court ruled that he was mentally unstable. His original trial convicted him of tearing up a Koran in a Muslim graveyard in Falsabad, but the appeal judge noted that there had been no witnesses.

Shabazz is now in hiding for fear of extremist reprisals over his acquittal and is yet to be reunited with his family. Release International partners have been supporting the family during Shabazz's imprisonment. Meanwhile, another two Christians have had their world blown apart by accusations of blasphemy. In...

Another city, Shahid 17, has gone into hiding after being granted bail amid accusations that he too defiled the Koran.

The teenager was accused of blasphemy after allegedly being involved in a theft. While his family and supporters are pleased that he's out on bail, they fear for his life. He too is in hiding, and so on and so forth. There's another country, I've never heard of it before, but it's Eritrea. It's in Africa, and this describes that 68 Christians have been jailed since the beginning of this year, 2017.

Just in the month of January, 68 Christians have been jailed. There was multitudes of Bibles that were found and burned. They were taken to a military camp and faced pressure to recant their faith. Release International, it's an organization that is keeping track of the persecution around the world. And they, in projecting 2007, they project that 250 million Christians will be persecuted.

Over the course of this year. It says that governments in even moderate Muslim countries often fail to safeguard the rights of their Christian minorities. Abuses suffered by Christians include kidnapping, forced conversion, imprisonment, church destruction, torture, rape, and execution. Put yourself in that country. Will you still walk with God? That's what the majority of the world faces. Torture. Death. Persecution.

Do you believe God and his word enough to be obedient to it, even if it costs you? Here in this country, we have the opposite. We have what we call the faith teachers.

The faith teachers say, you know, if you really have faith, if you really believe God, you will be healthy, wealthy and wise. Because God doesn't want his children to suffer and he doesn't want them to be sick. And so if you're sick, it just means that you don't have faith. And if you don't drive a nice car and live in wondrous prosperity, that just means that you don't have faith. And it's a prominent teaching throughout the United States.

Teaching that suffering is an indication of being outside of the will of God. It's not true. The promise is you will suffer when you're obedient to God at his word. There will be problems and situations that you face. It will cost you. So count the cost. You're not always going to be healthy. You may or may not be wealthy. Wise. Hey, if you live by the word of God, that's the one thing you can be assured of.

But there will be problems. I'm amazed at how we as humans are created to experience a wonderful array of emotions, of joys, but also on the other end, sorrows and hurts. Sometimes more difficult than we can describe or explain. To believe in Jesus Christ, we experience all of those. To be obedient to God at His word is to experience the full range of

of feelings and emotions that God has given to us. Tremendous pain, hurt, sorrow, but wonderful joy. If faith always meant immediate fulfillment, it would be easy. Okay, I believe. Poof, I have it. No problem. But the thing with faith is it's believing God at His word. It's obedience to Him at His word, even if it costs you because you believe faith.

That all things work together for good because you believe that he will work it out according to his will, that it will be what's best for you and those around you for the rest of eternity. Faith is not getting what you want immediately, but it's being obedient and then in eternity looking back and seeing, wow, you really are amazing, God. You did what you said you were going to do. You worked it out for good. What about you in your life? Are you willing to

To welcome God's word. To make a deliberate, willful choice to receive it and say, this is God's word to me. This is how he wants me to live. This is how he wants me to proclaim. This is what he wants me to do. Are you willing to welcome God's word? Are you willing to be obedient to God at his word, even if it costs you? Even if it costs you your job. Because you will not compromise anything.

Your obedience to God. How about this next sale? Are you willing to lose that in order to be obedient to God? How about separation from your family? Jesus said, hey, I came to bring a sword. That means that when you stand for me, that when you do what I'm calling you to do, some of your family will not fellowship with you any longer. They will separate from you. Are you willing to

To let go of those ties in order to be obedient to God. Are you willing to suffer to be persecuted in order to be obedient to God? This is God's word. It will equip you for every good work. The gospel message, it will save you from eternity in hell. And it will work together for good according to his purposes to those that love him. Are you willing to believe that? Do you believe it enough to live it no matter what it costs?

in this life. Faith. Obedience to God at His word. But understand, you need to count the cost because it will be difficult. There will be persecution. It will cost you. Don't you feel great? You say, man, the gloomy weather just brought it on. And Jerry, I don't know where this came from. Let's continue on. Verses 17 and 18, we find love.

Remember the three things are faith, love, and hope. Love is the overwhelming concern for and desire to serve others. And we see that here in verse 17. Paul says, Here again we see Paul's great love for the Thessalonians.

He says, look, more eagerly, I endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. It was an intense passion that Paul was experiencing, that he wanted to see them desperately. He was experiencing and demonstrating this overwhelming concern. He really wanted to be there to make sure that they were doing okay. He wants to be there to encourage them and uplift them and help them through the time of persecution and struggle that they're going through.

But he says, as hard as I tried, I'm not there in presence. I'm there in heart. My heart's with you, but I'm not there in presence. He cannot be there. Why? If he has this great love, what would keep him from being there? You know, we have the mentality like, hey, if you really love me, then you'll be there for me when I need you. There's all kinds of songs about that whole idea as well. Paul has this great love, but he's not there. Why?

Well, because just like faith in regards to love, there's obstacles, pains, and problems that are accompanied by love as a result of love. Now, love is what's best for us. We know that God is love, and he calls us to love just as he does. It's what's best for us, but know this. To love is to experience hurt. It's to experience pain. It's to experience suffering.

Again, as well as great joys and wonderful things, but there's a balance. Love will cost you. Verse 18, Paul says, therefore, we wanted to come to you. Even I, Paul, time and again, but Satan hindered us. Satan hindered us. Paul says, I love you guys. I really want to be there. I tried over and over again, but I could not come. Why? Because Satan hindered us.

And there's a part of me that reads this and says, what? Can that be true? Can Satan hinder the work of God? I'm reminded of Daniel chapter 10. In Daniel chapter 10, Daniel begins to fast and pray. He has this huge burden that's suddenly placed upon his heart. For three weeks, he's seeking the Lord. He's striving and struggling in prayer. And after three weeks, an angel appears to him.

And the angel says to him in Daniel 10, 12, he says, Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days. And behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

Here Gabriel appears to Daniel and he says, Daniel, I was sent immediately when you began to speak those words and pray to the Lord. But I'm here 21 days later because the prince of Persia, a demonic force, a demonic power, withstood me. And I was tied up in the battle until Michael came and helped me. And I'm delivering the message and going back because there's a fierce battle that's taking place. Can Satan hinder? Absolutely. Theologically,

I know God is infinitely greater than Satan. I know that Satan is ultimately used by God to accomplish his own purposes. I know that Satan cannot escape or override God's will. But even though I know these things, even though these things are true, I still experience the results of spiritual warfare. Paul says, Satan hindered me. I find it...

Interesting to contrast with a different occasion where Paul wanted to be somewhere, to go somewhere, but he could not. In Acts chapter 16, Paul was wanting to go into the region of Galatia, but he says we were forbidden by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit forbid us to go into the region of Galatia. And so not being allowed to go into Galatia, they tried to go into Bithynia. And again, the Holy Spirit did not permit them to go there.

And because the Holy Spirit did not permit them to go, that's when they crossed over. That's when the man appeared to them. They went to Philippi. And then from there came to Thessalonica. It was as a result of the Spirit not allowing them to go into Galatia, not allowing them to go into Bithynia, that Paul ended up going through Thessalonica and the work beginning there in the hearts of the Thessalonians. As I...

Contrast these two. Satan withstood me from coming back to you. The Holy Spirit forbid me to going into those areas. I understand that in either case, whether it's the Holy Spirit forbidding or the devil hindering, the will of God is accomplished. And God is going to do his work, but he does it in different ways. How did the Holy Spirit forbid Paul? We don't know. How did Satan hinder Paul? We don't know. But what we do know is Paul did.

endeavored time and time again, eagerly, more earnestly, desiring to be with the Thessalonians. And he was kept from meeting together with them. Ultimately, we know, well, if God really wanted him there, Satan hindering wouldn't have meant anything. He would have been there. Ultimately, we know that was God's will. And God wanted to keep Paul going to do the work that he sent him forth to do. But,

Knowing that doesn't take away the pain, the hurt from experiencing it. I still experience the results of spiritual warfare even though I know that Satan is defeated. I still experience the hurt and the pain of love even though I know that God is love and that nothing comes to me apart from his love. Think about Jesus for a moment. He had perfect love.

And God's will was accomplished in his life, but he experienced hurt, anxiety, and pain because of his love. He loved his disciples, yet one of them betrayed him. Do you think that hurt Jesus? Absolutely. He loves Judas. We look at him kind of after the fact and go, Judas, never trusted that guy anyways. But Jesus loved him. He's not willing that any should perish. He's not seeking to take out anybody.

The betrayal hurt. Jesus loved completely, unconditionally, the love that you and I are called to have. But understand, that means sometimes you're going to hurt because people will betray you. Because sometimes you'll want to be there. Because you have this great love for the person or for the group or whatever. You want to be there, but you cannot. And it will hurt. There's pain because of love.

1 John 3.16 says, Jesus died on the cross. Why? Because he loves us. But do you think it hurt for him to die on the cross for us? Yes. That's why in the garden he says, Lord, if there's any other way,

If I can be spared the pain, if I can be spared the hurt, if there's any other way that I don't have to experience this, let that take place and not the cross. Now understand, this is Jesus we're talking about. He knew the end.

He knew what the result would be. He knew that by his death and resurrection that you and I could spend eternity with him. But even though he knew what was coming, even though he knew what the result would be and how wonderful that would be, it didn't take away from the hurt and pain, the suffering of the moment. To love means that you will experience suffering. You will experience pain.

You'll experience joy and wonderful blessings. Yes, that's true. But keep the balance. Count the cost. Are you willing to love even though it means that you will experience hurt, anxiety and pain and separation and so on and so forth? Gee, Jerry, great bummer message. Now my life feels as gloomy as the sky. Faith. Obedience to God at his word. Believe God at his word. Obey God at his word. But understand, count the cost.

You'll suffer as a result. Some will forbid you to speak. Some will persecute or oppress you with calamities. You may have to die for your faith. Love an overwhelming concern for and desire to serve others, but understand, count the cost. There will be pain involved. Some will betray. Some will take advantage of. You'll have to die to yourself. It's part of it. Is it a bummer? No. Look at Paul.

He's looking up. He's focused on eternity. He has hope. Remember, we defined hope as a confident focus on eternity. Look at verses 19 and 20. For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For you are our glory and joy. Paul says, look, you're suffering persecution.

I love you dearly and I want to be there with you, but Satan's hindering me and it kills me. But we have hope. The hope of being with you in the presence of Jesus at his coming. The hope of being together in eternity. The hope of the resurrection. The hope of heaven. We have hope.

Paul says, look, you will suffer. You will be persecuted. But hang in there. Even though I can't see you now, I'm going to see you with Jesus at his coming. Paul is focused on eternity. Seeing them there and being with them. Also, Paul refers to his crown and his glory. He's looking forward to eternity with God. He's looking forward to seeing them there. He's also looking forward to the rewards for the life that he has lived. He says, I can't wait.

You're a product of the ministry and the calling that God called me to. And I can't wait to see you standing before him. Paul's focus was not on this life, but on eternity. Looking forward to the day that they will be with Christ Jesus. The glory that will be when he's with God, when he's with them, when he gets to see the fruit of the suffering as a result of faith and the hurt and the pain as a result of love.

And he'll get to experience the benefits and the blessings of that for the rest of eternity. I've shared it with you before. God's primary concern is not your immediate happiness. He's going to give you great blessings in this life as you walk with him. You're going to experience wonderful things. Jesus said, I came that you may have an abundant life and you will have that. But count the cost. Because along with the abundant, wonderful, joyful life, because you love God,

the way that God loves, you will experience hurt and pain like the world cannot. Because you're obedient to God at His word, you will suffer persecution at the hands of the world. There's no greater life than the life that God calls you to live in faith, love, and hope. And if you will walk with God in relationship with Him,

If you will grow in these areas in faith, hope, and love, there will be immediate fulfillment in your soul in that you will have and find forgiveness and healing and restoration and peace. And within, God will touch your life immediately. There will be eternal fulfillment like we can't even imagine. But physically, in the meantime, we experience obstacles, pain, suffering, and persecution. But we have hope.

The focus on eternity. God promises us fulfillment there. Beyond what we can imagine or know or speak. We cannot look to this life for fulfillment. For satisfaction. This cannot be the basis of whether we follow God or not. You know, I started walking with the Lord, but it just got so difficult and things are so much harder. It's easier to live in the world. Well, yes it is. Except now that you know the truth, it's much harder to live in the world, but...

It's easier. Again, if faith meant immediate fulfillment of everything, it would be easy. It wouldn't be faith. But faith is believing God at His Word. Not necessarily for the moment, but for eternity. That when I look back, I'll say, hey, God, You fulfilled Your Word.

Romans 8, 28, all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Lord, I loved you. I walked according to your purpose and you fulfilled your word. You worked it out for good. The most horrible and wretched and things I couldn't even imagine. You worked out for good. You're amazing, God. That's faith. It's being certain of what we hope for. The substance of things unseen. It's not what we see now.

But it's what we know will be fulfilled as we look back from the eternal perspective. Faith, love, and hope. These three abide. These three are what's important in a Christian's life. Walk in them, but count the cost. Do you believe God at His word enough to live in faith, love, and hope? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, God, we thank You.

That you offer to us eternal life. And Lord, may we remember that we're not worthy. It's your grace and your mercy. Lord, it's you. You did it all. And how wonderful you are in allowing us the opportunity to simply receive what you have done for us. And so God, I pray that you would help us this morning to welcome your word. Lord, to make a deliberate and willful choice.

To believe that these things are your words to us. That this Bible that we hold is your word for our life, for us to live by. Lord, to receive and believe that you want to speak to us directly and guide us and lead us and have relationship with us through your word. Lord, help us to be obedient to you according to what you speak to us through your word. Lord, and it does cost, but it's worth it. God, because we have hope of eternity.

We have the hope, the sure, confident focus on eternity. That you will be faithful to your word. Lord, help us to love. To love our neighbor. To love our enemies. Help us to love our wives as you love the church. Help us to love those around us, God. Lord, we know it will mean that there will be some pain and some hurt. But God, it's the example you give for us. Lord, it's hard to think about the hurt and the pain that we experience.

may have caused you because of your love for us. But we ask, Lord, that you would fill us with your love, that we would see more clearly your example of dying on the cross for us because that's how we know you loved us. And Lord, that's how we know that we ought to love others. So teach us, Lord, not to have our roots in this life, but Lord, to die to ourselves in order to love and serve those around us. Lord, because we have hope.

You have eternal, wonderful, glorious things awaiting for us. The reunion of all those that have walked with you. The joy of seeing the fulfillment of our labor and toil for you. The joy of being with you for the rest of eternity. God, may we be faithful to you. Help us to really believe your word. Help us to know that all things work together for good to those who love you and are called according to your purpose.

And so, Lord, we confess, we pronounce, we love you. We walk, we want to walk according to your ways. Help us, Lord, to be obedient. Help us to love and keep our focus on you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.