Sermon of the week-"THE COMING OF THE GOSPEL"

I Thessalonians 1: 5
INTRODUCTION:

Paul was very aggressive in sharing the gospel. For one thing, he was very
aggressive with whom he shared the gospel. Paul shared the gospel with all
who would give him a hearing. He went to the Jew first and also to the
Greek. Racial and social distinctions didn't keep Paul from sharing Christ.
He believed that Jesus had given him a command to preach the gospel to
every creature and he did his best to carry out that command. It didn't
matter to Paul if he shared Christ with a group of women by a creek or if he
shared with a group of intellectuals at Mar's Hill. Paul simply went where
the people were. In this, paul gives us an example. We can't wait for
people to come to church to hear about Jesus. We must go to them.

These Thessalonians were well aware of Paul's commitment to share Jesus.
Because Paul had shared Christ with them, they had been saved. Because of
paul's ministry in Thessalonica, there was a church in the city. And, as
paul looked back on his time in Thessalonica sharing Christ, he tells us
what happened.

THE GOSPEL CAME UNTO THE THESSALONIANS IN WORD

The gospel came in word by a God sent messenger. Notice that a God sent
messenger is one who has himself received the gospel message. Because Paul
had himself received the message he could say in v. 5, "for our gospel." It
is only when we have received the gospel that we can then encourage others
to receive it. Paul had received Jesus and as a result became His messenger
to share Jesus.

To be an effective messenger, we must feel a burden to reach out to lost
souls. The motivation for sharing the gospel is that of keeping lost souls
from spending eternity in hell. Only when we grasp that hell is real and
that lost people are going there will we get a burden for the lost. It was
such a burden for the lost that led Jesus to leave heaven to die on a cross.
It was a burden for the lost that led Paul to write, "For I could wish
myself accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the
flesh." Paul was a God sent messenger with a great burden for those he
spoke to.

To be a faithful messenger, we have to articulate the word. The word must
be articulated because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of
God. In God's plan, people must hear the good news about Jesus and then
respond to it if they are going to be saved. If they do not hear, they will
remain lost. And, if we don't share the word with the lost, their blood
will be on our hands. The Word must also be articulated in order for us to
be obedient to God. Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature. To refuse to do this is just as much of a sin as
any overt act we could commit. For people to be saved, those who know
Christ must tell them. The gospel must come in word.

THE GOSPEL CAME TO THE THESSALONIANS IN POWER AND THE HOLY GHOST

For the word to bear fruit, it must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Paul
said that his message came not in word only but in demonstration of the
Spirit and in power. Unless the Holy Spirit empowers the word, preaching,
even the preaching of the gospel, will be lifeless and boring. Seeing
results in sharing the gospel is not a matter of our personality, education
or manner of delivery but it is a matter of the Holy Spirit empowering the
Word.

Notice what happens when the Holy Spirit empowers the word. When the Holy
Spirit empowers the word, there will be enlightenment. The Holy Spirit will
open the eyes of the spiritually blind to where they can see the truth about
themselves. This is a great work because man's nature is to close his eyes
to the truth and stay willfully blind. Jesus said this was the reason that
Israel's religious leaders would not be saved. They had eyes to see but
refused to do so. When the Holy Spirit empowers the Word, there will be
conviction of sin. Conviction is seeing that our sin makes us worthy of the
judgment and wrath of God. When Paul preached to Felix, he was so convicted
about his sin that he trembled. The Holy Spirit can so grip a person's
heart that they will quake with the fear of God. Then, when the Holy Spirit
empowers the Word, there will be quickening. The Holy Spirit will open a
person's heart to receive Jesus. This is what happened to Lydia. The Lord
opened her heart to receive Jesus. As He opens the heart, the Holy Spirit
will impart new life as he comes to take up residence in that person's life.
O how today, we need the Spirit to move in our midst and empower His
word!!

THE GOSPEL CAME TO THE THESSALONIANS IN MUCH ASSURANCE

These believers knew they were saved. Assurance is a part of the salvation
experience. When Jesus saved the thief on the cross, He gave that thief the
assurance he needed by telling him, "This day shalt thou be with me in
paradise." Paul also had the assurance of salvation. In II Timothy 1: 12,
he says, "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." Paul knew
that heaven was His home. That is why he could write, "I have a desire to
depart and be with Christ, which is far better." It was the disciples'
assurance of heaven that allowed them to preach with confidence. Their
confidence about what they preached made them effective preachers. They
could also face persecution and even death because of the assurance that
they had that heaven was their home.

The key to assurance is reliving our salvation experience. This is what
Paul did as he witnessed. He simply shared what God did in his life. All
salvation experiences have some common elements. That is why Jude talked
about the common salvation. In every salvation experience, there is a time
that we are under God's conviction and His drawing. In every salvation
experience, there is a decision to be made about accepting Jesus' offer of
forgiveness and salvation. In every salvation experience, there is a moment
when we receive or trust in Jesus as Savior. There comes that moment when
we cry out to Jesus, and the Bible says, "whosoever calls upon the name of
the Lord shall be saved." As we go back, relive and examine that salvation
experience, God will confirm His work and give us the assurance we need.

CONCLUSION:

Has the word been empowered in your life to the point that you have come to
know Jesus and His assurance? Is God's word being empowered in this
church? If not, seek His blessing through prayer.

MIKE HONZELL, PASTOR
COLLEGE AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH
LEVELLAND, TEXAS

Sermon Audio For 09/23/2007

If you missed Bro. Mikes Sermon on the parable of the seeds (mark 4:1-8), you can still hear it by downloading the audio.

It weighs in at 28:08 and 13.5MB.

You can download the .mp3 here, or from its archive.org page.

Sermon of the week-"Election"

I Thessalonians 1: 4
INTRODUCTION:

The word election means to choose. We understand the word in political
terms. Every four years we choose a president to lead us. We elect them.

God also makes choices. God makes His own choices when it comes to working
through humanity. For instance, of all the people living on the earth at
that time, God chose Abraham to work through and build a nation. Why
Abraham? It was simply a sovereign choice that God made by His grace.
Later, God would choose to continue His work through Jacob instead of Esau.
Paul describes that choice in Romans 9: 11, "for the children not yet being
born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to
election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls." Israel, as
Jacob's descendants were called, were truly God's chosen people. Moses also
shares something with us about God's called people in Deuteronomy 7: 7, "The
Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in
number than any other people, for your were the least of all people." God's
choice of Israel to be His people was a sovereign choice based on His grace.
Following the resurrection, God set aside Israel and He chose to work
through a Gentile church. But, after the rapture, God will once again turn
to and work through the Jew.

God also chooses when it comes to salvation. Now, keep in mind that God's
desire is to see everyone saved. The Bible says that he is not willing that
any perish but that all come to a knowledge of the truth. the fact that
Jesus' desire is to save all is seen in that He went to the cross to pay for
the sins of all humanity. I John 2: 2 says, "And He is the propitiation for
our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
Jesus' desire to see the entire world saved can also be seen in His
commission to the church. He told us to go into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. God wants to see people saved, but he gives a
lost man a choice as well. When one who is lost hears the gospel, they are
responsible for what they do with the gospel. They can repent, turn to
Christ and be saved, or they can reject Jesus and remain lost. A lost
person chooses to go to heaven or to hell.

Inspite of the fact that man has a choice in this area of salvation, God
also makes a choice. that is seen in Romans 8: 29-30. "For whom He did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." As we notice
these verses, we see that our salvation is based on God's foreknowledge. I
Peter 1: 2 also says, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God." You
see, God, being omniscient, knows the end from the beginning. And, even as
God gives a persona choice about salvation, God knows what they person is
going to do with that choice. Then, based on what He knows we will do with
Jesus, God then predestinates, calls, justifies and glorifies.

GOD HAS CHOSEN US FOR MORE THAN JUST GOING TO HEAVEN

For one thing, we have been chosen to bear fruit. John 15: 16 says, "I
chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit." God chose
us to bear fruit so we could glorify Him. John 15: 8 says, "Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." God delights in see His power
displayed through flawed human beings. And to see fruit displayed through
us is something that we have to give Him credit for. Now, since God's
purpose in saving us is that we bear fruit, then we must be vessels He can
use to bear such fruit. Jesus told us that to bear fruit, we must abide in
the vine. That means we must be in fellowship with Him and obeying His
word. The believer who is in fellowship with Jesus and who is obeying His
word will be the believer who is fruitful and exhibiting works that reveal
they belong to God. We bear fruit because of our relationship with Christ
and because we are in fellowship with Christ. God chose us to be obedient
to Him, fellowship with Him and bear fruit.

We were also chosen to conform the the image of Jesus. God's purpose for us
is that we be like Jesus. And, that purpose will be fulfilled. It will be
fully seen at the rapture or the resurrection. Paul tells us in I
Corinthians 15 that when Jesus comes, we are going to be changed and given a
glorified body. I John 3: 2 says that that body will be like Jesus'. "When
He shall appear, we shall be like Him." God's purpose in choosing us is in
glorifying us and making us like Jesus. But, until the resurrection takes
place, we are on a day by day basis be conforming to the image of Christ.
We are to be living our our faith so that others can see that Jesus lives in
us.

God has also chosen us in order to reveal the greatness of His power. We see
this concept in I Corinthians 1: 26-31. The ones God chooses to work
through are people the world would never choose. When God instructed Samuel
to anoint a king over Israel, David was not his first choice. God had to
instruct Samuel, "for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on
the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." God's choice is
often different than man's choice. This is also seen in God's choice of
Amos to be his prophet. Amos was a herdsman and a farmer. This was not the
pedigree of a prophet yet it was God's choice and God moved through this
prophet. The world would not have chosen the men Jesus chose to be His
apostles, yet Jesus used these ignorant and unlearned men to turn a world
upside down. God loves to use nobodies to do His work and confound the
world. And in working through the nobody, God reveals the greatness of His
power. As Paul says, "it is not I, but Christ who lives in me," that does
the work. And when God works through the nobody, the world has to take
notice that they have been with Jesus. God didn't just choose us to go to
heaven-- He chose to use us.

BUT, PETER DOES WARN US IN II PETER 1: 10 TO MAKE OUR CALLING AND ELECTION
SURE

I Thessalonians 1: 4 tells us that we can know we are the elect, the chosen.
I John 5: 13 puts it another way, "that you may know that you have eternal
life." A believer can know that he or she belongs to God. As Paul would
say later in I Thessalonians 1: 5, "the gospel comes in much assurance."
Paul also says in II Timothy 1: 12, "I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him
against that day." Because we can know that we belong to God, Peter says,
be sure of it.

CONCLUSION:

Yes, God chooses but it is based on what He knows about us. We still have
the responsibility to receive Jesus. If one rejects Jesus, it is not God's
fault if they spend eternity in hell.

MIKE HONZELL, PASTOR
COLLEGE AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH
LEVELLAND, TEXAS